1. Conservative Party would give control of A Levels to universities
A Conservative Government would relinquish ‘political control’ of A Levels, Shadow Education Secretary Michael Gove announced this Tuesday. Control of determining A-level syllabus and question-setting would instead be given to universities.
Speaking following the announcement, Gove argued that "We must ensure that A-levels are protected from devaluation at the hands of politicians. The institutions with the greatest interest in maintaining standards at A-level are those which receive A-level students – our universities.”
2. Scottish government announce additional funding for universities
Scottish universities are to receive an additional £42.9 million in the coming year for learning, teaching and research, it was announced. The Scottish Government’s Budget for 2010-11 will also provide an extra £44.8 million for colleges.
Education Secretary Michael Russell announced the news in a letter to the Scottish Funding Council, expressing his belief that the real-terms increases will help both the further and higher education sectors to remain at the heart of efforts to re-build the Scottish economy.
3. ‘Short-term university cuts mean long-term damage’, UNISON warns
UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector trade union, has warned that the current short-term cuts being imposed on universities could mean long-term damage to the UK’s knowledge-based economy. Most worryingly, they predict, it will be tomorrow’s students who will be hit most seriously.
4. Parliamentary questions
Harris - Browne Review
Thursday 4 March 2010 | House of Commons - Oral Question
Dr. Evan Harris (Oxford, West and Abingdon) (LD): Can the Minister give an undertaking that when the Browne committee reports after the election and imposes greater debt on students in order to fund universities, that funding will not be removed from universities in terms of their central Government funding? Can he assure us that universities will at least be better off if students have to pay higher fees through increased debt?
Mr. Lammy: I know that the hon. Gentleman is an educated man, but I did not realise that he was a fortune teller. I am not going to anticipate the Browne review.
Willetts - University places
Thursday 4 March 2010 | House of Commons - Oral Question
Mr. David Willetts (Havant) (Con): Will the Minister confirm that the Government have set a target of 50 per cent. of young people going to university, and that this year—the very year to which the target applies—they are fining universities to the tune of £10 million simply because they have recruited more students? Is it not the final absurdity of Labour’s target culture that it can set a target and then punish institutions for taking the measures needed to hit it? Why does he not instead match our pledge to offer 10,000 more university places this year?
Mr. Lammy: Because the hon. Gentleman’s pledge is bogus and ridiculous. It would involve the Government borrowing more money to help which students pay off their loans quickly? The richest students. That is where his heart lies. The 50 per cent. participation rate is an aspiration that his party has continually opposed. We have got the figure up to 43 per cent., so there are more young people than ever before going to university, including more young people from poorer socio-economic groups than ever in our history, but his party has opposed the measure at every opportunity. This is the most opportunistic volte-face I have seen in the House for a long time.
Mulholland - Tuition Fees
Thursday 4 March 2010 | House of Commons - Oral Question
Greg Mulholland (Leeds, North-West) (LD): What steps he is taking to widen participation in higher education; and if he will make a statement.
The Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property (Mr. David Lammy): We reaffirmed our commitment to wider and fairer access to higher education in “Higher Ambitions”, published last November. The number of students going to university from lower socio-economic groups is rising, and almost 10,000 more young people entered higher education in 2007–08 than five years earlier.
Greg Mulholland: I thank the Minister for that answer, but with graduates facing debts of more than £20,000 and with the debate about whether to raise the cap on tuition fees to £7,000, I was pleased to sign the Leeds university union pledge against any such rises. Is it not time that the Government were clear about their policy going into the election, and will he now be clear whether he will oppose increasing the fee cap to £7,000—yes or no?
Mr. Lammy: That is a little rich coming from the Liberal Democrats, given that they have had five positions on tuition fees since Christmas last year. Recently, there was a policy change indicating that they would not phase out tuition fees in the next Parliament. The Government have been clear that we will not pre-empt an independent review. We have asked Lord Browne to look at access, and the position of students, parents and employers. I will take no lessons on tuition fees from the flip-flop Lib Dems.
Field, F - Further and Higher Education (Admissions)
Monday 1 March 2010 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many places there were in (a) further and (b) higher education institutions in academic year 2008-09.
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 26 February 2010]: In 2008/09 academic year (provisional), 4,756,600 learners participated in Learning and Skills Council funded learning (excluding Higher Education and school sixth forms).
In 2008/09 there were 2,005,845 students enrolled at English Higher Education Institutions (including the Open University).