7th October 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Statistics published by the Times Higher Education magazine this week show that the gap between the UK’s top universities and the rest of the world’s campuses is widening. Last year 14 British Universities made the world’s top 100, but this has slipped to 12. The Times Higher Education magazine has warned that the UK’s lack of state investment in higher education will mean that it won’t be able to compete on an international level.
UK investment in higher education is now just 1.2%, significantly lower than other OECD countries. Although the UK does remarkably well relatively speaking, many feel that relying on this and taking funding away year by year will see our world class education system decline sharply.
Critics of the government’s higher education plans from the University and College Union said this week that the government does not recognise the value of investing in education the way other countries do. Education is a key driver of economic growth, and for this reason, if no other, the government should want to match the investment of other OECD countries.