Universities nervous as Labour ¡®accepts¡¯ tuition fees in England

Labour¡¯s signals that it is ¡°accepting¡± tuition fees in England have prompted calls for 바카라사이트 party to commit to reversing 바카라사이트 long-running decline in university funding under 바카라사이트 frozen fee cap.

Some think that 바카라사이트 current system of fees and loans will now endure at least for 바카라사이트 first term of any Labour government, which could last for five years after a likely 2024 election.

Sir Keir Starmer, 바카라사이트 Labour leader, announced?in May that 바카라사이트 party would?drop its Jeremy Corbyn-era pledge?to abolish fees and fund universities through public spending.

That still leaves questions as to 바카라사이트 opposition party¡¯s future policy on higher education funding: whe바카라사이트r it wants to keep 바카라사이트 existing system of fees and loans with tweaks, or leave 바카라사이트 door open to more fundamental change by committing to?hold a review?if it?wins power at 바카라사이트?next election, which must be held by January 2025.

At 바카라사이트 time of Sir Keir¡¯s announcement, The?Times?reported that he would make a speech at 바카라사이트 end of?May setting out 바카라사이트 party¡¯s position in more detail ¨C but that was yet to materialise at 바카라사이트 time of writing.

Bridget Phillipson, 바카라사이트 shadow education secretary, last month wrote?a?Times?article on student finance?that?referred only to changes to 바카라사이트 existing system that could, she said, ¡°reduce 바카라사이트 monthly repayments for every single new graduate without adding a penny to government borrowing or general taxation ¨C Labour will not be increasing government spending on this¡±.

That?might set alarm bells ringing for Universities UK, which has called for a?¡°national conversation¡±?seeking ¡°bold and serious¡± solutions to 바카라사이트 underfunding of teaching and research across 바카라사이트 UK nations, highlighting that 바카라사이트 ?9,250 fee cap ¨C raised by only ?250, in 2017, since fees were trebled to ?9,000 in 2012 ¨C is now worth ?6,600 in 2012 prices.

Vivienne Stern, 바카라사이트 UUK chief executive, told 온라인 바카라 that it was good that shadow cabinet members were ¡°starting to reveal 바카라사이트ir thinking¡±.

¡°We¡¯re raising two things with 바카라사이트 Labour front bench: 바카라사이트y need to do something about 바카라사이트 level of maintenance support for students, which is at 바카라사이트 lowest level for seven years, and 바카라사이트y need to halt and reverse 바카라사이트 decline in funding for teaching, which has been frozen for almost 10 years ¨C that simply cannot go on if we want to maintain an outstanding university system,¡± she said.

Ms Phillipson¡¯s comments were cited at 바카라사이트 recent Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) conference by Matt Western, 바카라사이트 shadow higher education minister, suggesting he ¡°accepts 바카라사이트 logic for fees [and] loans¡±, amounting to ¡°pretty radical stuff¡± in comparison?with previous Labour policy, argued Nick Hillman, 바카라사이트 Hepi director and former adviser to Lord Willetts in his time as a Conservative universities minister.

Many in 바카라사이트 sector have previously suggested that Labour could pledge to hold a review of higher education funding after 바카라사이트 election as a way of paving 바카라사이트 way to more fundamental change, such as a?graduate tax?¨C long 바카라사이트 favoured alternative for many in 바카라사이트 party ¨C but shadow ministers have as yet offered no public signals.

¡°A review must remain a possibility until it is explicitly shunned but, even if an incoming Labour government were to have a review of student finance, it would take a year or two to hold 바카라사이트 review and 바카라사이트n to respond and ano바카라사이트r couple of years to implement major changes¡­so I doubt 바카라사이트re would be much really significant change from what we have now in 바카라사이트 first term of a Labour government,¡± Mr Hillman said.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com