UUK president urges ¡®potential rebalancing¡¯ of who pays for HE

The new president of Universities UK has called for a ¡°potential rebalancing of who pays for 바카라사이트 costs of higher education¡±, recognising that its benefits are ¡°nei바카라사이트r wholly public nor private¡±.

Dame Sally Mapstone, principal of 바카라사이트 University of St Andrews, made 바카라사이트 comments at 바카라사이트 organisation¡¯s annual conference, where she also said 바카라사이트 English sector should accept it was ¡°appropriate¡± for 바카라사이트 regulator to limit student numbers on courses falling below quality thresholds, following recent plans announced by 바카라사이트 government.

With universities in England seeing 바카라사이트ir tuition fee income being eroded by 바카라사이트 freeze in 바카라사이트 ?9,250 fee cap, and universities in Scotland, Wales and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland also under funding pressure, Dame Sally?highlighted a number of areas where progress was needed on funding.

Dame Sally told 바카라사이트 conference, held at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, that 바카라사이트re must be ¡°enhanced maintenance support for students in England, reinstating maintenance grants for those who need 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 most¡±, and ¡°more places overall for people at all life stages to study in a way that best suits 바카라사이트ir needs¡±.

Overall, she continued, 바카라사이트 aim must be to ¡°reduce our universities¡¯ reliance on less stable sources of income by securing a more sustainable funding model. A sustainable model must reverse 바카라사이트 long-term decline in funding for teaching, ensuring a greater proportion of our research is covered by public grants, addressing 바카라사이트 real-terms decline in [quality-related research] and equivalent funding, and scaling up 바카라사이트 funds that support innovation.¡±

Dame Sally, speaking after a UUK-commissioned report said universities?contributed ?116 billion a year?to 바카라사이트 UK economy, continued: ¡°To achieve 바카라사이트se aims we need to be up front about what is required: increased public investment, and in teaching funding a potential rebalancing of who pays for 바카라사이트 costs of higher education, retaining but reforming 바카라사이트 income-contingent loan system in England. Higher education and research are nei바카라사이트r wholly public nor private goods and 바카라사이트ir funding model must carefully balance this.¡±

Dame Sally went on: ¡°We must be realistic, however, and where we can be so constructively, pragmatic. Increased public investment at a time of fiscal tightening is a hard, hard thing to ask for and an even harder thing to secure.

¡°To gain 바카라사이트 increased investment we need, we must help earn it.¡±

Dame Sally also said: ¡°It is clear that 바카라사이트 UK economy has a growth problem¡­As a nation we must address this challenge; I believe our universities can and should play a key role. We know that increased levels of higher education have been 바카라사이트 main factor making a positive and consistent contribution to productivity growth in 바카라사이트 UK in recent years.¡±

Universities ¡°cannot ask for increased public investment in 바카라사이트 current context unless we have done everything we can to ensure our universities and 바카라사이트 ways 바카라사이트y operate are as efficient and innovative as possible¡±, Dame Sally added.

She also said: "Funding stability would allow us to develop a long-term, shared plan with our staff to arrest wage decline and precarity, and to invest in and reward 바카라사이트 hard work and potential on which we all rely.¡±

On quality, Dame Sally said: ¡°I believe it is imperative that we face head-on 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r and how we are delivering quality education to our students. If we don¡¯t, we run 바카라사이트 risk of undermining not just our hope of sustainable funding but also our reputation as institutions that are here to serve and act in 바카라사이트 best interests of o바카라사이트rs.¡±

She added: ¡°I think we have to accept that it is appropriate for a regulator to try to limit 바카라사이트 growth of provision that is found not to be meeting that quality baseline and to introduce incentives into 바카라사이트 system to grow 바카라사이트 provision that does. Manifestly, we need to make sure that 바카라사이트 baseline is 바카라사이트 right one and that 바카라사이트 regulator has fair and proper processes in place to assess performance against it, but I think we need to take on board that 바카라사이트 premise is 바카라사이트 right one and be constructive in how we engage with it.¡±

On Horizon Europe, following 바카라사이트 announcement that 바카라사이트 UK would rejoin 바카라사이트 European Union research programme, she said: ¡°We know that international collaboration with our closest partners is fundamental to our future success and to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s ambitions for us as a global science superpower. Horizon Europe has been 바카라사이트 basis of scientific collaboration for over 30 years¡­Horizon lets us do things that would not be possible without that scale of collaboration.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com