Jul
Will proposed funding cuts impact the quality of UK education
Will official plans for 25% funding cuts this year make Britain’s education system weaker and less attractive to students from India and other non-European Union countries? Exactly how much will be slashed and where the axe will fall is still unclear.
If the government pushes ahead with plans for 25% funding cuts then there will be a loss of 22,584 university jobs in England alone, according to new figures released on July 8th by the Universities and College Union (UCU). It warned that increased class sizes and less contact time with lecturers would make it a far less attractive place to study for overseas learners, who currently contribute 8.5 billion pounds to the economy a year. According to UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, ‘The scale of the cuts that we are facing is unprecedented and will have an undeniable impact on the student experience. Student to staff ratios, which are already high, will become some of the highest in the developed world.
“Do we really want to be left behind and risk being shunned by foreign students who will go to study elsewhere? We have a proud international reputation, but we realistically cannot expect to remain a major force in the global knowledge economy in the face of these cuts,” UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said. Further, the Telegraph reported that universities are raising concerns that about a fall in the number of seats available at UK Universities as a consequence of these budget cuts.
The government has initiated a review of the level of tuition fees. This review is being led by Lord Browne, a former chief executive of British Petroleum and will report its recommendations in autumn 2010 – it is expected to recommend that annual fees be allowed to increase to between £5,000 and £7,000 a year from the current level of £3,225 for British students. These budgets cuts will likely only put further pressure to increase tuition fees. The Russell Group, which represents 20 top universities in the UK, said that the current fees cap should be abolished altogether – paving the way for the adoption of a US-style system where elite Ivy League institutions charge up to £20,000.
Commenting on the Emergency Budget of 22nd June 2010, Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, said: “We sincerely hope that this Government recognises the vital role that leading research-intensive universities play in boosting the economy and improving quality of life and does not subject higher education to cuts of the truly alarming magnitude of 25%.
“We have already had our share of cuts. The Russell Group understands the severity of the budget deficit, which is why leading universities are already making significant efficiency savings. While our global competitors pump billions into their universities, the UK cannot afford to make even more cuts to outstanding universities which are crucial to the economic recovery. Russell Group institutions have an annual economic output of £23.5 billion, supporting 237,000 jobs, and bringing in £3 billion of overseas investment each year.
“Further cuts would be hugely damaging, threatening the UK’s status as home to world-leading universities.
