Major University Inquiry Launched, published in Student 12/11/08

FOLLOWING THE reduction in government funded student grants and the looming tuition fee debate, the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) committee has planned to complete a full investigation of higher education.

The DIUS committee intends to do a thorough investigation into student debt, student support, university admissions and university research. The committee has taken this direct approach in an attempt to gain an accurate picture of universities in the U.K. With the information they gather, the committee intents to set targets for government and university liaison to make the U.K. education system renowned as being world class by 2020.

The DIUS committee believes that this full investigation and direct action is necessary to put pressure on the government. It was reported in Student that the government under-estimated their yearly budget by £100million, and subsequently have made the decision to cut the amount of government funded grants that were previously made available to students. The DIUS committee ultimately wants to see government participation encouraging students from non-traditional backgrounds to further their education.

This inquiry into higher education comes at a time of economic crisis. Experts are arguing that the government should invest taxpayer’s money into the education system. It was reported that higher education alone contributes £50 billion a year to the economy and creates 600,000 jobs, showing that investment in higher education does fuel the economy. It is thought that the only way for the U.K. to come out of a potential recession relatively well of, is if Gordon Brown "spends his way out of the recession" by putting more government money into education. This would ensure that unemployment rates remain at a stable rate and that the U.K. workforce continues to be skilled and educated.

John Denham, the Secretary of State for the DIUS, said: "The world is evolving very quickly and we must be able to unlock British talent and support economic growth through innovation as never before. We need to decide what a world-class HE system of the future should look like, what it should seek to achieve, and establish the current barriers to its development."

The department, who have headed this investigation as the 'Blueprint for success - investing in our future', wants to see 70% of the 2020 workforce beyond compulsory education age. The DIUS is going to focus on important issues such as the development of fair access to the higher education sector as well as finding an adequate source of funding for universities that does not necessarily mean increasing the cap on tuition fees. The DIUS are hoping to set out a report for the government to discuss before the re-evaluation of the tuition fee cap in 2009.

Guy Bromley, EUSA's Vice President of Academic Affairs, stated that "It's good to see that this parliamentary committee will be considering the important issue of fairness of access to university. It's particularly pleasing to see that the committee will look at variability in teaching and its tension with research in the sector, as well as the more basic issue of whether adequate funds are made available for the training for teaching staff."