million+ responds to Budget 2009
Responding to today’s Budget Professor Les Ebdon CBE Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire and Chair of million+ said, “The Government’s long term strategy of promoting aspirations is about to come unraveled because the Chancellor has not provided funding for the thousands of additional students who are applying to university to improve their life chances post-recession. This contrasts sharply with the USA where President Obama’s fiscal stimulus package includes higher education.
“It is disappointing that the Government thinks that introducing contestability into university funding is an efficient way of achieving the cuts that are being imposed. Effectively universities will have to bid for small jam-jars of money which are currently part of their funding council grant. This will be more expensive, administratively inefficient and is unlikely to improve the student experience. Within the reduced funding envelope available for universities, Ministers should be giving very high priority to widening participation, fair access to the professions and to delivering the social mobility promised by the New Opportunities White Paper.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- million+ is the university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education. www.millionplus.ac.uk
- For more information please contact Gemma Tumelty, Public Affairs Officer on 0207 7171657 or 07900 277819.