Today's UCAS figures confirm that thousands of students - one in three - will have their dreams of a university education shattered by government funding cuts.
Sally Hunt is the general secretary of the University and College Union
Today’s UCAS figures show record levels of people applying to university, which should not come as too much of a surprise. The current generation of 18-year-olds have been encouraged to apply to university for the whole of their school careers and in tough economic times, people look to boost their skills if they find themselves out of work.
The figures should be an opportunity for us to praise a job well done by the government in promoting the value of education, and a degree, and recognising the power of education to transform lives and act as a catalyst for social mobility.
Unfortunately, today’s figures just confirm that thousands of students will have their dreams of a university education shattered by government funding cuts. The combination of record numbers wanting to go to university and such savage cuts in funding is producing a crisis.
With courses already closing and teaching staff losing their jobs, Peter Mandelson risks becoming known as the Doctor Beeching of higher education. Those students who are fortunate enough to secure a place will face increased class sizes, less contact with lecturers and will still leave university with record levels of debt.
Not funding higher education places makes even less sense when one considers the alternative of pumping extra cash into the benefits system to prop up record levels of youth unemployment. Other leading economies are investing money in universities in order to help economic growth and widen participation, yet our government is intent on doing the opposite.
This approach is an insult and a snub to the thousands of students the government has been encouraging to reach for university for the entirety of their educational career.
As I have said before on Left Foot Forward, the government has been so close to getting it right when it comes to opening up university education, but it has always failed to be bold enough. It has got more people to work hard towards a university place, but has now restricted places so many talented and qualified people will miss out.
The bottom line is that you cannot make savage funding cuts without serious consequences, despite Lord Mandelson’s insulting efforts to sell the cuts as an opportunity. The government is abandoning a generation who, instead of benefiting from education, will find themselves on the dole queue alongside sacked teaching staff.
The government can come out with as many statements as it likes about the importance of education, how it will be protected from the recession and its own commitments to social mobility, but the hard facts and punitive cuts tell a much harsher and sadly more accurate story.
24 Responses to “Thousands of students’ dreams of a university education shattered by government funding cuts”
artois
I do think Rob has a point, afterall, we are looking at an INCREASE in the number of people applying to higher education. I thought that was what we wanted?
Also, why does she think higher education should be immune from cuts? Surely she realises everyone is going to have to take some pain from a £178 Billion deficit? It’s not like universities will be reduced to candle light and wax tablets. The Beeching comparison was totally off as well- Lord Mandleson is not saying that a third of universities and university places should be shut down and lost.
Chris Roberts
RT @leftfootfwd: Thousands of students’ dreams of a university education shattered by government funding cuts: http://is.gd/7W75y
DougRouxel
RT @ucu: Peter Mandelson the Dr Beeching of higher education? Sally Hunt on @leftfootfwd http://tiny.cc/h9eEc
Wit Ackman
I think rob (2) has a point when he asks: why should we vote for Labour?
I think Sally displays the frustration of a longterm loyal Labour supporter. What we need instead from our Union leaders is for them to respect those they supposedly represent enough to see that it is students, academics, and the people affected who have the power to change this situation, not simply politicians. To this end, we need:
1/ Strikes and other actions
2/ Independent analysis and critique
3/ Engagement with all those affected (students as well as academics, other staff including TAs and non-academics, other unions and the public, e.g. parents)
4/ Engagement with workers, and other public sectors which likewise face looming cuts, redundancies and “modernization” or “restructuring” plans.
5/ A unified critique of the HE system and, indeed, our current system of government
Sally Hunt critiques Labour for not being bold enough – I don’t care about Labour. What I want to ask is, will Sally Hunt and UCU be bold enough – bold enough to act quickly and effectively.
Our representatives seem to be paralysed, resorting only to marginalised media debate, deferring their own responsibilities onto a parliament that has continually failed and betrayed us. But this fight is fully justified, and we hold all the cards.
STRIKE NOW!
Luke
I favour the ‘quiet’ option of taxing the private sector to fund universities. After all, it is the private sector which would benefit overwhelmingly from a pool of well-trained, well-educated graduates.
Cuts will see the rise of ‘easy’ universities with skeleton course structures, this in turn will mean that students miss out having more seminars and lectures, and less of an opportunity to develop the ‘soft’ skills they need after university.
Today, students at Sussex University have occupied the campus conference centre in protest over cuts to education. You can follow the action on twitter: http://bit.ly/aagGkq