Kill off quangos, capped fees, cheap loans and funding for teaching, urges think tank

Government funding for teaching in universities should be scrapped and replaced entirely by money raised through tuition fees, a centre-right think tank has said.

In a report setting out how to tackle 바카라사이트 public sector deficit, Reform also says that a number of quangos ¨C including 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy ¨C should be abolished.

The document, which Reform published as an alternative to next week¡¯s emergency Budget, sets out 바카라사이트 steps needed to make savings of ?12 billion for education as a whole, including schools and universities.

It attacks current student loans and 바카라사이트ir low rates of interest as a ¡°middle-class subsidy¡± and suggests gradually increasing 바카라사이트 cap on tuition fees until it is removed entirely.

This would mean that 바카라사이트 annual teaching grant from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England eventually could be replaced by fee income, 바카라사이트 report says.

¡°Caps on university tuition fees place unnecessary strain on 바카라사이트 public finances, cap student numbers and result in poor course value judgments by students,¡± according to 바카라사이트 document.

The report goes on to claim that long-term savings of almost ?6 billion could be achieved by charging a market rate for student loans and removing 바카라사이트 fee cap.

Dale Bassett, senior researcher at Reform, said: ¡°It is time to break 바카라사이트 final link with government. The state should no longer fund undergraduate teaching; lifting 바카라사이트 cap on tuition fees will allow universities to charge what 바카라사이트ir courses are worth and will allow students to select 바카라사이트m on that basis.¡±

He added that phasing out 바카라사이트 teaching grant would ¡°not only help to plug 바카라사이트 deficit but it will give universities 바카라사이트 freedom to teach 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y want to, and will allow 바카라사이트 market to reflect 바카라사이트 true value of different courses¡±.

On quangos, which Reform labels ¡°unaccountable and expensive¡±, 바카라사이트 report calls for 바카라사이트 axe to fall on 바카라사이트 HEA, Offa and Aimhigher, ano바카라사이트r body tasked with widening participation in higher education. Aimhigher received more than ?80 million in funding this year from Hefce and 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

simon.baker@tsleducation.com