On Tuesday 28th June, after a six-month delay the government published the Higher Education White Paper. It outlines in more detail how the government plans to reform higher education for students; the White Paper follows the vote in parliament in November to increase tuition fees to £9,000 per year from 2012, which over 400 UCA students demonstrated against in London.
Throughout the publication the role of students as customers was repeated. It is the government’s desire that students will be given much more information about the university and their course which will allow them to make better informed decisions about where to spend their money.
Universities will have to publish a Key Information Set (KIS) for every undergraduate course they run. The KIS will have information such as the number of contact hours per week, the overall satisfaction of students, the ratio of staff to students, the number of graduates in employment, the average cost of accommodation. In addition, it has been suggested that all universities develop a student charter which will lay out what students can expect from the university and also the university’s expectations of its students. It is the government’s wish that the student charter will allow students to hold their university to account if it does not deliver.
For universities, the government is introducing competition. Currently every university is allocated a set number of students they can recruit each year, universities are fined for every student they recruit over this number. Under the plans in the White Paper universities will be allocated a smaller number of students to recruit and if they wish to enrol more students than this number they will have to compete with other institutions for the places. The government has also stated that institutions which charge less than £7,500 per year in tuition fees will be encouraged to expand. This is to encourage universities to lower their tuition fees as most universities want to charge around £9,000.
There is very little mention of postgraduate courses in the White Paper. Many people are concerned that the increase in tuition fees will mean that fewer students will choose to continue to postgraduate level. The White Paper stated that the government would keep an eye on students undertaking postgraduate study and then act accordingly if necessary.
For students, there are some positive proposals in the White Paper; however, we are concerned that the government is assuming by giving students more information universities will provide a better student experience.
We would like to remind you that the higher level of tuition fees will only be paid by students beginning in September 2012. If you started at UCA before this time you will continue to pay the lower fees of around £3,000. Please remember that if you are starting university in September 2012 you will not have to pay any money up front, you can get a loan to cover the cost of your tuition fees and your living costs which you will not pay back until you have graduated and earn over £21,000 per year.
With the publication of the long-awaited Higher Education White Paper, we have seen an out of touch government strike a severe blow to the hopes, aspirations and future of young people in this country.
UCA Students’ Union is disappointed to learn that despite a six-month postponement in the publication of the White Paper so few proposals are concrete. The lengthy delay to publish and continued mention of “consultation” throughout the White Paper demonstrates the Government’s incompetent and shameful handling of reform to the Higher Education sector.
The Students’ Union 2011/12 Executive says: “The Government’s attempt to drive down tuition fees by opening up 85,000 student places for institutions to compete over is a shoddy attempt to rectify the Government’s gross underestimations on the average level of tuition fee. It was obvious to all but the Government that institutions would rush towards the higher end of the tuition fee limit, especially in light of the massive 80% cut to Higher Education funding”.
“The Conservatives have yet again proven they are completely ignorant of public and expert opinion, showing they cannot be trusted to help anyone other than the fortunate few. Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have been only too happy to roll over and break the promises made to thousands of voters.”
Lifting the restriction on the number of students an institution can recruit with A-level grades of AAB or higher undermines the government’s rhetoric of “improved social mobility through fairer access”. Nearly a third of students with these grades are educated at private schools, while an additional 20% are educated at grammar schools. Furthermore, this plan completely fails to acknowledge university acceptance based on portfolio review rather than exam grades within the creative arts. It is our concern that this will serve to further challenge true social mobility.
We welcome the publication of additional information for students so that they can make informed, positive decisions about their education. However, it is wrong for the Government to assume that the student experience will be magically improved by merely providing students with more information.
“This is the dawn of a desperately sad era for Higher Education and future students”, the Executive concludes.
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