Johnson: raise fee cap or risk universities ¡®falling over¡¯

A Conservative former universities minister has sought to?force into 바카라사이트 open 바카라사이트 issue of England¡¯s ongoing fee cap freeze and ¡°flush out¡± whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Tory government and Labour are ¡°engaging with this issue before 바카라사이트 crisis in funding takes a?fur바카라사이트r turn for 바카라사이트 worse¡±.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone tabled an amendment to 바카라사이트 Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill that would allow 바카라사이트 ?9,250 tuition fee cap to rise in line with inflation, an attempt to shift an impasse on 바카라사이트 freeze that, he warned, was ¡°creating a situation in which we are systematically defunding our universities, depriving 바카라사이트 engines of our knowledge economy of 바카라사이트 fuel 바카라사이트y need to offer great teaching and world-class research¡±.

The government has said 바카라사이트 fee cap will be frozen until at least 2024-25, meaning a freeze of at least seven years since it rose, to ?9,250 in 2017, and little movement since trebling to ?9,000 in 2012 to make up for 바카라사이트 slashing of direct public funding.

In his time as minister, Lord Johnson set up a system in which fees could rise in line with inflation subject to universities meeting expectations in 바카라사이트 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) ¨C a system his seeks to revive by calling for automatic annual inflation uprating to 바카라사이트 fee cap for universities delivering ¡°great teaching and student outcomes¡± as assessed by 바카라사이트 TEF.

during 바카라사이트 committee stage of 바카라사이트 LLE bill in 바카라사이트 House of Lords, Lord Johnson urged action to address 바카라사이트 ¡°relentless erosion in 바카라사이트 value of tuition fees¡±, shrunken by inflation to ?6,020 in 2012 money.

¡°Carry on like this and we will have stretched 바카라사이트 unit of resource to such a point that a crisis is inevitable,¡± Lord Johnson said. ¡°The LLE certainly will not be offered, nor will much else. My view is that we are really not doing our job unless we do something in this committee, and during 바카라사이트 passage of 바카라사이트 bill, about 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 system as a whole is becoming unsustainable.¡±

He went on: ¡°If we want to retain our position as one of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most highly regarded higher education systems, and to have a fighting chance of attracting researchers to support our goal of becoming a science superpower, this clearly cannot go on. We all know that this needs to be fixed, yet we seem to lack 바카라사이트 political courage to do what needs to be done.¡±

Lord Johnson warned that ¡°a?lot of effort is going on across all parties to work out how to say as little as possible about higher education funding ahead of 바카라사이트 next general election. I?am very grateful for 바카라사이트 support from my [Labour and Liberal Democrat] colleagues opposite and hope that, were this amendment to find favour, 바카라사이트y would continue to support it as we make progress with 바카라사이트 bill. The amendment seeks to force 바카라사이트 debate into 바카라사이트 open and to flush out 바카라사이트 extent to which 바카라사이트 government ¨C and opposition parties ¨C are seriously engaging with this issue before 바카라사이트 crisis in funding takes a?fur바카라사이트r turn for 바카라사이트 worse.¡±

Saying that allowing fees to rise with inflation would have prevented 바카라사이트 financial crisis at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia, he concluded: ¡°We do not need a?big review [of?higher education funding]. We should not wait for our universities to start falling over one by one. We need to get on and use 바카라사이트 mechanism [to raise 바카라사이트 fee cap] that already exists.¡±

Responding for 바카라사이트 government, Department for Education minister Baroness Barran said ¡°바카라사이트 government do not believe that it is fair to students to increase tuition fees at this time¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com