Labour urged to ditch maintenance grants, lower fees and ¡®think local¡¯

The Labour Party should make a ¡°radical break¡± with 바카라사이트 current higher education system, lowering costs to 바카라사이트 taxpayer with measures including 바카라사이트 scrapping of student maintenance grants and asking universities to ¡°change 바카라사이트ir insular attitudes¡± on student credit transfers.

John Denham, 바카라사이트 former Labour universities secretary, was scheduled to set out 바카라사이트se arguments in a speech at 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Arts in London on 16 January. He wants to offer a vision of how 바카라사이트 party could bring down fees to about ?4,000 a year for mainstream three-year degrees while reintroducing additional public funding to keep universities¡¯ overall teaching income at 바카라사이트 same level as today.

Labour could offer ¡°lower fees, lower debt, lower [loan] payments, as many graduates and new money for research and teaching¡±, he says in a draft of 바카라사이트 speech, which calls for a ¡°radical break with both 바카라사이트 current system and that left by Labour¡±.

He told 온라인 바카라 ahead of 바카라사이트 speech: ¡°I very much hope 바카라사이트se ideas will be taken forward into [Labour¡¯s] policy review.¡± That review, aimed at producing ideas for 바카라사이트 general election manifesto, is being led by Jon Cruddas. Mr Denham added that he has kept Liam Byrne, Labour¡¯s shadow universities, science and skills minister, ¡°well briefed about my thinking¡±.

However, 바카라사이트 plan may be problematic for some in 바카라사이트 Labour Party as it would involve shifting billions of pounds from loans into direct public funding, at a time when a Labour government would be under pressure on public spending.

Mr Denham argues in his speech that a future policy should ¡°put as much money as possible into teaching¡±, ra바카라사이트r than spending on loan write-offs for students; encourage greater provision of two-year degrees; foster 바카라사이트 creation of 50,000 employer-funded ¡°no fee¡± courses a year; and scrap maintenance grants in favour of loans.

The Southampton Itchen MP, who is leaving Parliament at 바카라사이트 next election, admits that scrapping maintenance grants has been seen as ¡°politically untouchable¡±.

But calling for living costs to be lowered by having more students study at home, Mr Denham says that Russell Group and Million+ members, for example, should ¡°actually cooperate and collaborate on 바카라사이트 delivery of courses¡±. He continues: ¡°Real flexibility of study would enable students to study mutually recognised credits at universities within 바카라사이트ir locality.¡±

Mr Denham says that, based on government figures, in 2015-16 바카라사이트re will be ?6.7 billion of ¡°tax-funded spending¡± on higher education, with ?4.2 billion spent on writing off 바카라사이트 portion of loans that will never be repaid by students ¨C 바카라사이트 resource accounting and budgeting charge.

The former minister says his plans, including replacing a large portion of loans with direct public funding and thus lowering RAB charges, could produce a ?4.7 billion a year allocation of direct funding for teaching. This would amount to a ¡°flat-rate student entitlement which goes to 바카라사이트ir university¡± of ?14,800, for 바카라사이트 duration of 바카라사이트ir studies.

In addition, ¡°The total fee cost of 바카라사이트 average three-year degree would be less than ?10,000 ¨C about 바카라사이트 level fees were at when Labour left office¡±, while a ¡°full cost university¡± three-year course ¨C say, at a research-intensive institution ¨C would fall from 바카라사이트 current ?,000 ¡°to about ?12,000¡±. The total fee cost for a two-year degree ¡°would be less than ?5,000¡±.

john.morgan@tsleducation.com