22nd January 2020 15:01
By Blue Tutors
The government has announced that there will be a review into the funding for universities to examine the value for money of each course. Reported on the BBC, £1.3bn is currently allocated to higher education, but the Office for Students (OFS) will look into whether this should be cut, and whether a larger proportion of it should be saved for priority courses.
This review is separate from the promised reassessment of tuition fees, which might see the maximum yearly amount cut from £9,250 to £7,500. Instead, the OFS will ask whether the direct funding should change, in particular to give less for what the government has called low quality courses. Much of the direct funding is currently used to subsidise expensive subjects like medicine and technology, and there is also a plan to raise the amount dedicated to improving access for disadvantaged students.
The Russell Group stated that many university courses are already stretched, and cutting the grants given is a concern. In addition, the leader of the University and College Union, Jo Grady, said that there is a worry about how the value of courses is measured, with potential future earnings seemingly being the priority. She referred to the study as an “obsession with flimsy metrics”.
Gavin Williamson, the education secretary emphasised his support for the review as a way to target funding going forward. He wants the amount and distribution of higher education grants to be in line with the government’s plan boost industry and invest in skills and infrastructure.