million+ urges politicians of all parties to make clear their commitment to well-funded universities
With a General Election just months away, the university think tank million+ has called on politicians of all parties to strike a fairer balance between the rights and responsibilities of students, universities, the taxpayer and government in the funding of higher education. The call was made by million+ Chief Executive Pam Tatlow, in a speech given at the C-SAP Conference ‘Roles, Rights and Responsibilities’ in Birmingham.
Criticising the decision, of both the Government and the Conservatives, that the long awaited Fees Review will not report until after a General Election, Pam Tatlow said: “Politicians do not just have the responsibility to say more but voters surely have the right to know where the parties stand not just on fees, but also on expanding funded student numbers to meet rising demand and on the funding of teaching and research in all universities.
“There is a relationship between fees and funding which the Government promoted as part of the 2004 deal when it promised that full-time fees paid back by graduates would be additional to the public unit of resource. The extent to which the next Government will honour this commitment is a crucial one.
“The terms of reference of the Fees Review presume that there will be a wider responsibility to fund higher education which goes beyond the Exchequer. If this is to be the case, then this is one instance in which the politicians themselves cannot exercise a right to be silent.
“Voters – and that includes future students and their families – have the right to know whether they will have their right to access universities which are well-funded for teaching, research and postgraduate opportunities whichever university at which they study and whichever course they choose.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education. www.millionplus.ac.uk
- C-SAP is the Centre for Learning and Teaching – Sociology, Anthropology and Politics – one of 24 subject centres within the Learning and Teaching Support Network, funded by the UK Funding Councils for Higher Education. www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk/about.htm
- For more information please contact Victoria Mills on 0207 7171655 or 07900 277819