27th April 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
London Metropolitan University has announced that it will dramatically cut the number of courses it offers when the new tuition fee system is introduced in 2012. In a report on the BBC the statement stated that the university is seeking to “consolidate its portfolio” by dropping the number of courses offered from 557 to 160. A lecturer’s union has condemned the cuts, but London Met insists that action had to be taken in what are very difficult financial times.
The university has been in trouble before when it was ordered to repay £36.5m in 2009 after a dispute about student numbers. The statement issued this week contains justification for the cuts, and explains that 80% of London Met’s students are enrolled in only 80 courses (14% of those offered), and that many of the courses have fewer than 10 students enrolled in them. In light of this the university foresees losing money on many of the currently offered courses as students become more selective about the university course they choose.
A union of tutors and lecturers at the university have criticised the cuts, claiming that the university is looking to cut non-vocational courses, and so reducing the opportunities for working-class students to study academic courses. The union feels that London Met is an institution which appeals to students from a poorer background, and gives them the opportunity to study non-vocational courses which many, more privileged students take for granted. However, the protests could reflect the fact that the cut in courses will lead to significant job losses within the union.