The Benefits of Cutting Class
It looks as if they’ve actually managed to find a sensible place to make cuts for once, and one which has even more scope for the future considering how the budget for HE has become so bloated over the last 12 years. We have something like 50% going to university, of course we can attack the Labour party for backtracking on their commitment to get that number into University, but we laughed it out the room at the time it was proposed, and there’s some that still have a chuckle at it now. It’s neither sustainable or desirable to try to meet this, or increase it. – there is no point keeping non-academic people in an academic education until they are 21/22.
The Russell Group, have however raised concerns about the impact of the move on the future of education within the UK with funding on the decline, and indeed the quality of our universities. You know, we might even see this government following it’s own advice for once.
If you look around Europe and even our Scottish brethren, you’ll see our universities are much better than theirs because we charge fees. This means our universities are much better funded than theirs which are dependent upon the whims of the state-which can be very stingy. There are two government funding/grant committees for universities – one related to research and the other to students. The government currently covers around 90% of university funding (last time I checked), which allows for minister like Mandelson to make such knee jerk decisions.
What we need, at the very least is a moderate increase of fees, which would be covered by the student loan system if we’re not going to lift the cap completely as suggested in the report by John Denham. At the very least a system whereby those high earners – such as you will be if you become a doctor – pay the full cost of their degrees back once they are raking it in. Everyone could still afford it, even from a background with no money, because of the student loan system, but of course there’s going to be those (Especially from LibDumb quarters) wailing about the seemingly big number that has to be paid back.
If big numbers put you off going to university, you probably shouldn’t be going. With the current governmental student loans repayment system, the actual amount of debt you’re in at the end is damn-near irrelevant, because you only have to start paying it back when you’re actually capable of doing so. Admittedly if you’re reading a Mickey Mouse subject then you’re screwed, but then again we’re not supposed to be paying you to muck around, are we?