5th June 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It has emerged that some courses and even whole colleges are largely empty because students are enrolling in order to be eligible for student loans, and then not attending classes. Increases in tuition fees, in addition to more relaxed lending has meant that students are able to borrow a considerable amount of money, an opportunity which would not otherwise be open to them. The private college sector in particular, an area which universities minister David Willetts has championed, appears to be faltering with reports of regularly empty classrooms. Willetts has encouraged the private sector to develop and take students from poorer backgrounds, yet it appears that students are enrolling in order to obtain loans and not attending classes.
A report by the Guardian newspaper on the London School of Science and Technology, a private college in Wembley, shows that many students do not attend classes. Further, in a considerable number of cases, students are enrolled who cannot speak English or do not have the basic skills required to pass their courses. The submission rate for coursework at the college is around 40%, a damning figure which indicates that although the school has large numbers of students enrolled, many are not willing to or capable of engaging with the course. The report noted that some students refer to colleges of this nature as ‘ATMs’, because they are able to obtain large loans if they are enrolled as students.
The report also suggests that the goal of private colleges is to maintain income from students via their loans, and that they take little action if students are not engaging with the course. In the case of LSST, it is alleged that students are rarely expelled when they fail to attend classes or submit coursework, whilst in the meantime the college continues to receive hefty fees from them. The college receives £6000 a year in fees from each student, whilst students can receive a further £5000 a year in grants and loans for maintenance. For this reason it is not in the interests of the college or the student to reveal a system which is about making money rather than education. The college claimed that their generous admissions policy was to ensure that students from all backgrounds got the opportunities they deserved, but students and former staff have said that it is to ensure that they are gaining maximum income. Former staff allege that the college uses street agents to recruit students throughout the year, and that it is common knowledge that signing up is a quick way to make cash.