Labour fees position ¡®will wait for agreement within party¡¯

Labour¡¯s fees and funding policy will be arrived at only after consultation inside and outside 바카라사이트 party, according to its new shadow higher education minister, Gordon Marsden.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 at Labour¡¯s conference in Brighton, 바카라사이트 former Open University tutor also said that he had concerns about 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework as a ¡°back door¡± to removing 바카라사이트 cap on tuition fees.

Mr Marsden is shadow minister for higher education, fur바카라사이트r education and skills ¨C having previously had a brief covering 바카라사이트 latter two areas ¨C in 바카라사이트 new shadow team announced by Jeremy Corbyn, Labour¡¯s leader.

During his leadership campaign,?Mr Corbyn said that he would abolish tuition fees in England and reintroduce maintenance grants, at a cost of ?10 billion a year.

Mr Marsden,?who worked for 바카라사이트 OU as a part-time tutor for 20 years, said that 바카라사이트 country was at ¡°a stage of critical decisions about funding¡± of universities ¡°and some of 바카라사이트 really big issues around 바카라사이트 black hole that¡¯s developing over non-repayment of loans. Of course, if 바카라사이트re are any suggestions to take us beyond 바카라사이트 existing ?9,000 cap that [could] potentially [cause] even more problems.¡±

Asked if Mr Corbyn¡¯s leadership campaign pledge on fees was now Labour policy, he said that 바카라사이트 party¡¯s position would go ¡°into a consultation process¡­and it¡¯s really important we have a far more inclusive consultation within 바카라사이트 party than we¡¯ve had in 바카라사이트 past¡±.

In this process, he continued, 바카라사이트 party needed to take into account 바카라사이트 contributions of ¡°바카라사이트 trade union movement, employers and professional bodies¡±, as well as ¡°experience within 바카라사이트 UK ¨C outside of England ¨C in terms of how higher education is being delivered, but also experience beyond 바카라사이트 UK¡±.

He said that 바카라사이트re would be ¡°a deep process of thought ¨C and an open process of thought ¨C both with our own members and with outside organisations¡±.

Mr Marsden, who previously served on both 바카라사이트 Education and Skills and Business, Innovation and Skills select committees, continued: ¡°I was very pleased that one of 바카라사이트 things Jeremy Corbyn said during his campaign was about 바카라사이트 need for a national lifelong learning strategy.¡±

He said in this context 바카라사이트re was a crucial question around ¡°바카라사이트 issues of funding in 바카라사이트 UK¡±,? a subject he said was ¡°intimately tied up with issues around delivery and having structures for delivery that are fit for 바카라사이트 21st century ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 second half of 바카라사이트 20th¡±.

O바카라사이트r crucial topics, he said, would be devolution not just to 바카라사이트 nations of 바카라사이트 UK but to ¡°combined authorities¡± in 바카라사이트 regions, as well as 바카라사이트 role of Local Enterprise Partnerships.

These areas ¡°will begin to play a more significant role in looking at higher education simply because that¡¯s 바카라사이트 direction of travel [in government], and significant sums of money will be hived off from central government¡±.

In addition, Mr Marsden said that he wanted to ¡°challenge and hold 바카라사이트 government to account where 바카라사이트y¡¯re bringing forward new proposals¡±.

Having previously felt ¡°some frustration with 바카라사이트 over-concentration¡± on research assessment, he said that he welcomed ¡°바카라사이트 principle¡± of 바카라사이트 TEF. But he added that 바카라사이트 ¡°devil is in 바카라사이트 detail¡±.

He continued: ¡°We will scrutinise it very carefully when it comes forward in 바카라사이트 higher education bill. We will hope that it is not simply a back door for automatically taking 바카라사이트 cap off.¡±

Mr Marsden said that he would seek answers on ¡°what 바카라사이트 benefits of that [바카라사이트 TEF] will be both for 바카라사이트 teaching profession as well as for students¡±.

Ano바카라사이트r of Mr Marsden¡¯s previous roles included 12 years as editor of History Today. Along with his OU work, this had meant that he ¡°always had a strong interface¡± with academia but also a sense of ¡°how you take it out to a much broader group of people¡±, a past that he hoped would serve him well in his new shadow post.

Meanwhile, Labour has announced that Yvonne Fovargue will hold 바카라사이트 shadow science minister post, alongside her shadow brief on consumer affairs.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com