Backdoor cuts at universities could cause class clash | Education

The government plans to cap the number of students at a time when the UK is facing an explosion in the number of 18-year-olds, it would be the death knell for social mobility, university experts warn.

More than half of young people are now entering higher education, but higher academics believe that with the Treasury anxious to curb the spiral of student debt, universities will face a cap on numbers through the backdoor, the government reducing support for what it calls low-quality courses.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, believes that such a decision would be disastrous. If you do not increase the numbers, there will be a clash between the classes and the entrance to the university. Limiting the number would be the death knell for social mobility and widening access.

He said that it would inevitably be the poor who would lose if places were tight. Evidence suggests that we still underestimate the ability of the middle class to maneuver and maintain their position in society, and this includes higher education.

The issue has gained new urgency, as in late 2018 the National Statistics Office changed the way student loans are treated in government books, adding $ 12 billion to the public deficit overnight. This change reflects the fact that approximately 45% of the value of student loans is never repaid and will now be treated as part of public spending.

Demographic changes are also increasing the pressure. The number of 18-year-olds, down for a decade, will begin an unprecedented period 10-year growth next year. The Higher Education Policy Institute thinktank (Hepi) predicts that 500,000 new places may be needed to keep pace.

Nick Hillman, director of Hepi and former special advisor to universities, thinks the government is almost certain to cap the numbers and says he vehemently opposes it. Stopping funding for low-value courses is a roundabout way of doing it, he says. I would support almost any policy change before that. Education transforms life.

Two weeks ago, the Guardian reported that the government could replicate the four categories of Ofsted used in schools, reporting university courses they deemed inadequate, which could potentially lose funds or be closed. . Graduates' earnings were expected to be the bar on which the government would judge prices.

Ironically, according to academics, the Secretary of Education, Gavin Williamson, could end up making his degree unsustainable. Williamson studied social science at the University of Bradford, a choice that may not come out well. Bradford graduates in today's equivalent field, sociology, have an average income of 17,500 after three years. Cambridge equivalent course graduates earned an average of 29,000, according to figures from Unistats and from new official data, the longitudinal educational outcomes, which follows them in their tax returns.

Angry academics say such a plan, while threatening the arts and humanities, where starting salaries are generally much lower than law or science, poses a risk to modern universities in the regions in economic difficulty. They say that graduates who stay and work in these fields will generally have lower wages than their counterparts in London, but this is not a mark of failure.

Evan Clark, recently graduated with a degree in social work from Staffordshire University, says that when he applied to study, he did not know how much he would earn upon graduation because it didn & # 39; Was not a priority. I am now a social worker and I take care of people with learning disabilities. For me, it's about trying to give others the same opportunities as Ive.

Professor Ieuan Ellis, Professional Vice-Chancellor of Staffordshire, said that a digital cap is a bad solution, especially in a field like his where only 28% of young people go to university, against a national average of 50%.

There aren't too many people going to university in this country and there are certainly not too many in this region, he says. Judging the value of courses solely on the basis of salary would threaten the future of modern universities in the most disadvantaged areas, and this would be entirely wrong.

Stoke-on-Trent, where the university is based, is classified as the 14th most deprived local authority in England, following the decline of the ceramic industry.

The idea that expanding university participation is simply bringing in a few more poor people to Oxbridge is completely preposterous, says Ellis. Talent is evenly distributed, but the opportunity is not. We give our talented students the opportunity to realize their potential.

He points out that Staffordshire, which has received gold from the government for excellence in teaching, trains students to become teachers, social workers, nurses and police. It also encourages graduates who study digital technologies to start businesses locally. These graduates are extremely important to the region, but these are not the kind of jobs that have high starting salaries, he said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said: We want everyone with the potential to have access to high quality education. However, we must not let the credibility of our world-class universities be damaged by poor quality pockets that do not offer high quality education or good value for money. We help the Student Office use its powers when it finds that providers are not working in the best interests of students.