University fee increases for Wales

11 July 2011 Last updated at 15:54 GMT Universities say they are striving to ensure students from all backgrounds can still attend

Eight out of 10 universities in Wales will charge maximum tuition fees of ?9,000 per year for some or all their courses, it has been announced.

The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales said every institution has had their plans to increase fees from September 2012 accepted.

Universities' initial proposals were all rejected last month.

The National Union of Students in Wales said the decision was a "sad day for higher education in Wales".

Students from Wales will have the increase in fees paid for them by the Welsh Government, which now faces a bill of around ?280m a year to finance the grants.

It is thought most Welsh students will pay roughly ?3,400 a year.

Continue reading the main story ?9,000: Cardiff, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Glamorgan, Newport (some ?8,250), Uwic, Trinity Saint David (for undergraduate teacher training in Welsh and English)?8,500: Swansea Metropolitan (exc art & design courses, which are ?8,750)?5,850-?7,750: Glyndwr University (?6,643 average) Source: HEFCWFirst Minister Carwyn Jones said the government was confident it could pay for the tuition fees policy.

Applicants from European Union countries will also be eligible for the subsidy, though students from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will pay the full rate.

The University and College Union (UCU) urged institutions to be cautious on how much they charge for courses.

It is concerned that charging ?9,000 a year would be off-putting for some students.

"These courses provide a lifeline to many people trying to move up the social ladder, and for them to be put off by higher fees would be disastrous," as spokesman said.

Continue reading the main story

Chad Collins is a lower sixth-former at Ysgol Gyfun Bryn Tawe, and is hoping to study physiotherapy at Cardiff University.

"I don't really mind about the fees. It's a case of whether I do well in my exams, whether I am willing to go for the degree in Cardiff. With fees. fair enough, that the Welsh Government will pay most of it, but again, it's quite daunting for most students who have a poorer background.

"At the end of the day, I'm really motivated to go to university no matter what the fees are. It's just a case of what my results are like on results day. I find that no matter what degree I do, I'll still have to pay anyway after graduation in university." He added: "The cheaper the fees, the better it is for students to be able to go from their A-Levels straight into their degree in whichever university and it will be better off for the students."

Ben Knight-Gregson is studying for a masters degree in physics at Swansea University.

"There's always going to be scholarships and bursaries and such and if you actually go out and look away from university there are many scholarships and bursaries from research institutes and different charities etc. I'm of the opinion that it's great trying to get everybody as equal an opportunity to come to university as they can, and obviously with the fees being risen that could cause an issue for some people, but I don't see what the problem is with regards trying to encourage more people from poorer backgrounds when everybody's given the opportunity to have the same financial assistance if needs be."

However, Higher Education Wales (HEW), the representative body for universities in Wales, welcomed the approval.

Director Amanda Wilkinson said: "This has been a very testing but worthwhile process.

"Universities have emerged with stronger plans to deliver for students and prospective learners from backgrounds with little tradition of going to university."

In rejecting all initial applications, HEFCW said it encouraged institutions to set more ambitious targets.

Universities were told they need to meet certain requirements, including on equal access and improving the student experience.

Professor Philip Gummett, chief executive of HEFCW said: "It is clear from the fee plans that institutions will use a high percentage of their additional income to benefit students, from bursaries for students from disadvantaged communities to investing in new technology."

The Office for Fair Access is due to announce on Tuesday whether universities in England have had their fee plans accepted.

Full amount

Based on the Welsh Government's calculations, this would see about ?50m a year of its budget going to universities in England, as students from Wales take their grants over the border.

The policy is costed on the basis of fees being ?7,000 on average.

The total cost of the policy over nine years would be ?1.5bn although this would be offset by a 35% cut to university budgets.

However, questions have been asked about its affordability if average fees are nearer ?9,000.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews said it had been a robust process but he expected the performance of universities to be monitored.

"The Welsh Government expects institutions to provide value for money, support access to higher education from under-represented groups and to deliver an excellent student experience," he said.

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University backs Pearson degree

4 July 2011 Last updated at 15:00 GMT Parts of the degree could be studied online, others in a local college Publishing giant Pearson has announced a partnership with Royal Holloway university that will allow it to enter the degree market.

The university is to validate a degree in business, developed by Pearson, which says it eventually wants its own degree-awarding powers.

A White Paper last week outlined government plans to allow the expansion of private degree providers.

But the lecturers' union warned of a possible focus on profitable courses.

Pearson said the degree would be available from September 2012.

It said it was in talks with further education colleges, which would teach the course.

Pearson already provides vocational courses such as BTECs and HNDs, and owns the exam board Edexcel, but it does not have degree-awarding powers.

It is to design and develop the new degree, while Royal Holloway would validate and quality-assure the qualification.

Flexibility

Although some companies, including the fast-food chain McDonalds, already offer degrees in conjunction with universities, Pearson would be the first that already has the power to award other qualifications.

President of Pearson UK, Rod Bristow, said the new degrees would create more flexibility for students.

"A Pearson degree could allow students to go somewhere near where you live for some of your tuition, do some of it online and still potentially work," he said.

He has said the company intends eventually to seek degree-awarding powers.

Currently only five privately-funded organisations in the UK, one of which is for-profit, have such powers.

But in its White Paper published last Tuesday, the government said it would "simplify" the process for obtaining degree-awarding powers, in order to "make it easier for new providers to enter the sector".

Pearson has not announced fees for the new degrees, and it is not clear whether prices would be set by the company or by the colleges that are to teach the degrees.

But the company said the aim was to provide good value, and to offer degrees at a lower cost than traditional universities.

Mr Bristow also said the company was exploring whether it would be possible to offer degrees outside the system of state-subsidised tuition fee loans.

"One of the unanswered questions is whether a model can be created that doesn't require a government-backed loan," he said.

Prof Rob Kemp, Deputy Principal of Royal Holloway, said: "Our founders, in opening colleges for women in the 19th Century, were the first to address the challenge of widening access and we are delighted to continue this tradition today by supporting Pearson in this initiative."

Last year Pearson said it intended to offer degree courses in business, engineering, IT and health and social care at "very competitive prices".

'Narrow focus'

A large proportion of universities have set their tuition fees at the maximum level of ?9,000 per year.

But in last week's White Paper, the government said it wanted to hold back 20,000 places to be allocated to institutions charging ?7,500 or less.

The document said the government wanted to make it possible for new teaching institutions to be set up to teach external degrees - and for organisations to award degrees that they do not teach themselves.

The issues will be included in a consultation be carried out between August and October on the regulation of universities.

The University and College Union has warned that an increase in profit-making providers in the higher education sector might lead to a drop in standards.

Its general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: "One of the main concerns around an increase in private provision is the narrow focus on courses likely to earn them the most money.

"Private companies are looking to make the best returns they can and we fear that approach will lead to an incremental narrowing of the curriculum and some students doing inappropriate courses at a greater cost."

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History on Bolton rounders sought by university

30 June 2011 Last updated at 13:14 GMT The photo shows some of the pioneers of Bolton's unique version of rounders A Bolton historian is asking for help to find out more about the town's unique version of the game of rounders.

University of Bolton researcher Dr Peter Swain came across a picture of pioneers of the game while researching the 20th Century pastimes of the town.

Taken in 1914, it shows girls from Tonge Fold Council School who later formed the town's first league in 1918.

Dr Swain said it would be great to "put names to faces" because of their importance to the game.

As opposed to the standard national game, Bolton rounders uses a smaller, wider bat and a soft ball, which can be thrown at players between bases.

It also uses a different scoring system and has larger teams, with 11 rather than nine players to each side.

Dr Swain said that it was adapted from the national game around 1911 and "proved immensely popular with girls and women in the town".

Continue reading the main story Rounders is believed to have been played in England since Tudor timesThe Bolton version was first played in the town's elementary schools in 1911Female leagues, which began in 1918, still run in the townIt was initially played in schools by both sexes, but on leaving school, Dr Swain said boys considered it a game for girls and did not play it in adulthood.

However, he said that the girls took up the game with relish, taking the game out of the schoolyards when they left school at 14 and forming "adult leagues through the Sunday Schools which has lasted until today".

He said that the photograph shows some of the pioneers who made that leap into the leagues and popularised it as an adult sport in the town.

"I know that this picture features at least eight girls who, as young women, went on to play in the first adult rounders league in Bolton that was formed in 1918," he said.

"I think the girl on the back row with the bat and her arm round the next girl was called Cissie Leather, but there is some debate about it.

"It would be great if we could put names to their faces so I can include the photograph in my final work."

Dr Peter Swain can be contacted by email him at p.swain@bolton.ac.uk.

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University best-buys

24 June 2011 Last updated at 04:00 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent From glossy prospectus-style images... to proposed tables of consumer facts and figures If the higher education system in England is going to become a market as never before, then students are going to be its mystery shoppers.

If you're spending up to ?9,000 each year on tuition fees, you want to know what you're getting. So how are students going to decide?

Universities from next year will have to provide "key information", helping their student customers make value-for-money comparisons.

It's a cultural shift in how universities present themselves - more best-buy tables than big philosophical ideas.

Instead of artful pictures of cutting-edge buildings and young people enjoying themselves, this is more likely to mean a pie-chart showing how many former students are now in gainful employment.

There will be data showing the earnings of recent graduates, rental costs in the area, teaching hours and student satisfaction ratings, based on the results of the National Student Survey. The student union bar might get a mention.

Student charter

Each undergraduate course will have to be accompanied by this information, so applicants know how the course is taught and assessed.

Universities are going to have to be more transparent about course information

It should mean fewer hidden surprises about how many contact hours there will be with staff - or the value of the degree in the jobs market.

This compulsory fact box will have to be in place alongside the higher tuition fees next year.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England has given an illustrated example of how this key information set might look.

The forthcoming White Paper on higher education is also expected to propose a way students can hold universities to account.

A "student charter" is expected, setting out the consumer rights of students and a framework for making sure universities keep their promises. This could even mean paying back part of the tuition fee if a university fails to deliver.

And this could be of interest to growing numbers of disgruntled students - with complaints about universities reaching record levels this year, according the annual report of the higher education ombudsman, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

'Great leap forward'

Aaron Porter, the outgoing National Union of Students president, has been co-chair of the student charter proposals.

Aaron Porter says universities need to give facts along with the marketing

He says the idea of giving key information to applicants is a "great leap forward".

He wants the student charter and the key information set to provide students with a more useful picture of what they can expect from a course.

"There has been an explosion of marketing from universities in recent years, with claims about the facilities on offer," says Mr Porter.

"Students are enticed by the flowery marketing-speak. But there are surprisingly few details about the curriculum and the learning experience.

"The open days are stage-managed events and there are stories about flowers being planted specially and buildings repainted.

"It means that students can make their choices on flimsy grounds, or rely on league tables."

Sir Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, said it was important for students to be able to make sense of the vast amount of information produced by universities - and to make useful comparisons.

The key information sets would mean generating 24,000 different sets of data about courses, he said.

"Universities already publish masses of data about student satisfaction and employment outcomes. But prospective students told us that they wanted to find the data more easily," he said.

Compare the market

Funding council chief executive, Sir Alan Langlands, said the changes to fees in 2012 would make it even more important for students to have "accurate, up-to-date and easily accessible information".

And Universities Minister David Willetts, who is driving the market model for higher education, has emphasised the importance of "empowering" students with better consumer information.

Continue reading the main story Employment outcomes of recent graduates, such as average salariesStudent satisfaction ratingsHow the course is taughtHow it is assessed, such as exams and course workAccommodation costsTuition fees and finance

Source: HEFCE

This key information data will provide a minimum set of comparable facts - but universities will be able to add more detailed information about what's on offer.

But it won't necessarily address all the bugbears - such as the star academics who appear more prominently on university websites than in their lecture halls.

And some information might remain elusive - such as how many students passed or failed or the degree grades awarded in previous years.

Campus safety is also not included. In the United States, universities and colleges have to provide detailed crime statistics on or near their campuses, so that would-be students and their parents can see if there are any safety fears.

There are also differences of opinion about the details of the proposed key information list for English universities.

Everyone wants more transparency, but the right kind of transparency.

The Russell Group of universities, which has a good record on drop-out rates, raised concerns the rate was not included. And they warned against narrow measurements of what's on offer rather than the "broader educational experience".

Meanwhile the 1994 Group of research intensive smaller universities points out there are different ways of measuring employment after graduation - arguing that looking at where former students are several years after graduation is more relevant than at six months after leaving.

There are still details to be decided about this information, including where it should be held.

This could mean these market comparisons are held in a single website, as well as on the websites of individual universities.

Whatever the final form, choosing a university course should be less of a leap in the dark for the student.

But for the universities, depending more than ever on the market choices of teenagers, it is a further step into the unknown.

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University staff strike over cuts

22 June 2011 Last updated at 14:33 GMT London Met attracts many low-income and ethnic minority students Staff at a north London university are protesting over a decision to cut two thirds of its courses.

Picket lines were set up outside London Metropolitan University's buildings by Unison and University and College Union (UCU) members.

UCU spokesman Cliff Snaith said the courses being cut was "extremely depressing and demoralising to current students and staff".

The university said it was "disappointed" by the strike.

Dozens of members from the two unions protested outside university buildings on Holloway Road and Highbury Fields in north London.

'Difficult period'

Lectures and exams at the university have finished for the academic year but a meeting of the board of governors was being held on Wednesday.

"We want a university where we are not dictated to by a management that appears to be following another agenda," Mr Snaith said.

"Students have been forced onto courses they weren't expecting to take.

"We demand genuine consultation with regard to the future of all aspects of delivery including courses, research and student support services."

A London Metropolitan University spokeswoman said: "London Metropolitan University is disappointed that members of its recognised trades unions, UCU and Unison are today taking one day strike action.

"We understand that this is a difficult period for staff at London Met but industrial action is not the answer.

"A formal governors disputes panel was set up and attended by senior management.

"Senior management have also met with the concerned parties to maintain a dialogue."

Courses in subjects including performing arts, history, Caribbean studies and philosophy are being cut by the university.

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University has 'let Wales down'

22 June 2011 Last updated at 08:04 GMT By Ciaran Jenkins BBC Wales education correspondent Wales' national university, the University of Wales, has let the country down, says Education Minister Leighton Andrews after a damning report

Education Minister Leighton Andrews says the University of Wales has let down higher education in Wales and brought the nation "into disrepute".

His criticism comes after a watchdog's report told the university to review its worldwide college links.

BBC Wales found the links included one with a Malaysian pop star with bogus degrees and a college in Bangkok college said to be operating illegally.

The university says it is developing a new international strategy.

Prof Roger Brown, a higher education expert, said it was the "most damning" report on a university's overseas operations he had seen.

The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) delayed its publication of the university's institutional review - a six-year health check - while it conducted its investigations.

The institutional review was completed before BBC Wales' revelations were broadcast and reached judgments of 'confidence' in the university, although it did identify weaknesses in its external validation processes.

The university must now draw up an action plan to address the issues.

The QAA's investigation follows the BBC Wales probe into colleges in Malaysia and Thailand offering courses leading to the university's degrees.

Last November BBC Wales Week In Week Out found that a Malaysian college was run by Fazley Yaakob, a pop star with two bogus degrees, while another in Bangkok was operating illegally.

The QAA's report found the university had not run proper checks while setting up partnerships with the colleges in question - a process known as validation.

It said the university "missed the opportunity to be circumspect" about Mr Yaakob, who claimed to have a doctorate in business administration.

'Continuing concerns'

Its approval of a fashion college in Thailand was judged "inadequate" and "flawed".

Continue reading the main story

In 2008 I discovered the University of Wales was "validating" courses at a bible college in the United States, whose own degrees were illegal.

The university said it would learn lessons from the revelations and engaged external consultants to help them review their overseas partnerships.

In November 2010, I revealed further cases where the university seemed to be putting its reputation on the line: a link with a Malaysian pop star who had bogus degrees and a college in Bangkok that was said to be operating illegally.

This time the higher education watchdog, the QAA, decided to investigate.

The publication of its report is unlikely to make pleasant reading for students who still receive University of Wales degrees here.

After all, the degrees handed out at UWIC, Trinity Saint David, Swansea Metropolitan, Glyndwr and Newport are equivalent to those earned by students in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

A Welsh Government-commissioned report said in March the university must change radically or shut its doors.

The severity of the QAA's findings means that process cannot be ignored.

The QAA investigation revealed that the University of Wales staff member sent to inspect the college had no recollection of being there.

The report also considered the university's links with a business college in Singapore in which two sets of owners disappeared, leaving students in the lurch.

Mr Andrews told BBC Wales: "The university has brought the brand of Wales into disrepute and I think it has let higher education in Wales down and it has let Wales down. It's unacceptable.

"There have been continuing concerns about the University of Wales' international operations, going back several years.

"I want to see action from the chair of the council at the university because all of this has happened on his watch.

"What is he doing about it and what is he going to do in the future to ensure that he exercises proper oversight of the management of the University of Wales."

In total, the university has 130 partnerships in 30 overseas countries, with 20,000 people studying for its degrees across four continents.

The outcome of the QAA investigation is the latest blow for the university, following the publication of a report in March which said it should be wound down and closed if other plans for its future fail.

The review, commissioned by the Welsh Government, said it had become too reliant on income from validating courses in overseas colleges.

Continue reading the main story

I would say this is one of the most serious reports to have been produced on a university in recent years”

End Quote Prof Roger Brown Higher education expert The University of Wales is the degree awarding body for five institutions - UWIC, Trinity Saint David, Glyndwr University, Swansea Metropolitan and Newport.

However, according to the QAA, students at these universities are "commonly unaware of the university (of Wales) and believe themselves to be acquiring their degrees from the institution they have attended."

Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and Aberystwyth have all withdrawn from the university in recent years.

Prof Brown said the university had "some very very serious issues to answer".

"It's a serious challenge and one the university has to address with the utmost seriousness if the university is to retain its reputation in this field.

"I have never heard of a case where the QAA has asked a university to review all its partnerships in such number, that is certainly unprecedented.

"I would say this is one of the most serious reports to have been produced on a university in recent years."

'Serious shortcomings'

Prof Philip Gummett, chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), said the report identified "a considerable range of serious shortcomings" in the university's conduct.

"There needs to be an urgent and effective response," he said.

"We shall also take these developments into account in our consideration of current merger discussions involving the University of Wales."

The University of Wales said it welcomed the institutional review report's finding that confidence could be placed in the soundness of its management of the academic standards of its awards and the quality of learning opportunities available.

A spokesman said it was making "many transitional and transformative measures".

"In order to continue to safeguard standards and the student experience the University of Wales will, in partnership with its proposed merger institutions, develop a new international strategy which is embedded within Wales," he said.

Over the last six months there have been concerns expressed about the validation operations of the University of Wales.

The officers of the university have reviewed the validation activity and have come to the view that the current model is no longer fit for purpose and consequently has already imposed a moratorium on all validation developments.

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University complaints rise by 33%

13 June 2011 Last updated at 23:03 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Complaints about universities have risen for the fifth consecutive year Student complaints against universities in England and Wales have reached record levels, the higher education ombudsman's annual report shows.

The independent adjudicator's office says complaints rose by 33%.

For the first time it names two universities, Westminster and Southampton, which failed to comply with the adjudicator's rulings.

Rob Behrens, head of the adjudicator's office, said the rise reflected a more "consumerist" attitude among students.

This is the fifth consecutive year that complaints have risen - with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator's report showing that 1,341 cases were considered.

Consumer awareness

One in five cases were fully or partially upheld - leading to compensation payments of almost ?174,000, with a single biggest payment of ?15,000.

The report also identifies two universities, Southampton and Westminster, which had failed to comply with the adjudicator's recommendations - although it does not give details of the individual cases.

Mr Behrens said that the increase in complaints reflected a greater sense of consumer awareness among students, heightened by the prospect of a sharp increase in tuition fees.

"There has been a lot of policy discussion about fees in the past year and it's concentrated students' minds into thinking about the merits of what they're getting.

"It's encouraged them to be more like consumers - and consumers are more likely to complain," said Mr Behrens.

He also said that a tough graduate jobs market had made students more aware of the importance of university.

With a further shake-up of higher education expected to create greater competition, Mr Behrens says it will become even more important for universities to provide transparent information for students.

The complaints addressed by the Office for the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) are those which have not been resolved within universities - and the OIA suggests that this represents about one in seven of the complaints from students.

The adjudicator also cannot consider complaints about academic judgement, such as degree grades or marking.

But it can examine challenges on "academic-related issues" - the largest category of complaints.

This includes whether due process has been followed in degree classification and whether mitigating circumstances, such as illnesses, have been taken into account.

It also includes complaints about the handling of accusations of cheating and plagiarism.

Among the successful complaints was one from a PhD candidate who complained that "the external and internal examiners did not have sufficient expertise at the appropriate level to examine a PhD".

An unsuccessful complaint had claimed the university had failed to provide enough tutors and claimed there had been bullying during a work placement.

The annual report shows that overseas students, mature students and postgraduates are disproportionately likely to complain.

Business, medicine-related subjects and law are the areas most likely to generate complaints.

"Across the sector, student satisfaction levels remain very high and we have no reason to expect them to drop this year. This is testament to the passion and hard work of university staff," said Professor Sir Steve Smith, president of Universities UK.

"Universities are not complacent and there will be challenges ahead. Universities will have to be increasingly clear about what they offer students."

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PM rejects 'university for rich'

10 May 2011 Last updated at 15:46 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent On extra places for rich students, Mr Cameron said: "That is not going to happen. That is not our policy."

Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected suggestions the government is considering allowing wealthy students to pay for extra university places.

"There is no question of people being able to buy their way into university," Mr Cameron told the BBC.

Universities Minister David Willetts said extra places could be funded by businesses or charities and not wealthy individuals.

But Labour's John Denham accused the government of a "humiliating u-turn".

Mr Willetts had to face questions in the House of Commons over proposals to create extra university places in England which would not depend upon public funding.

'Rich individuals'

In angry exchanges, the minister told MPs that he was considering plans to make it easier for employers and charities to fund additional places - but "rich individuals should not be able to buy their way into universities".

Shadow Business Secretary John Denham attacked the government for a "humiliating climbdown" - and said there were many questions unanswered how any extra places would be allocated.

"I think it is clear that the government still intends to create a two tier system - one method of entry for the most able, another for those with access to private funds from one source or another," said Mr Denham.

There were also questions from MPs about what types of organisations could sponsor their own extra places - would it include independent schools with charitable status or trusts set up for their children by wealthy families.

Continue reading the main story Norman Smith Chief political correspondent, BBC Radio 4

David Willetts is widely know at Westminster as "two brains".

Unfortunately many of his colleagues believe he showed "no brains" - or at least a distinct lack of media savvy - when interviewed about increasing university places.

Where a more down to earth politician would simply have killed off the notion that better off parents could buy their children places at our more prestigious univerisites - Mr Willetts allowed the idea to gain legs.

The results - a screeching, crunching denial some four hours later, just as the idea was threatening to turn into a major political storm, further fuelling tensions within the coaltion.

It underlines just how sensitive relations within the coalition have become in the wake of last week's crunching defeats for the Lib Dems in the local elections.

Mr Cameron had earlier moved to quash the idea that there should be a different system of places for wealthy students - saying that Mr Willetts had not intended that.

"That is not going to happen. That is not our policy... The government's policy is absolutely clear that university access is about the ability to learn and not the ability to pay," said Mr Cameron.

At present, universities can create extra places and set their own fees for overseas students - and there were suggestions that a forthcoming White Paper would allow such flexibility to be extended to wealthy UK students.

This would mean that universities would be able to create more places for self-funded students, outside of the quota of publicly-funded places.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Willetts had said: "People are coming to us with innovative ideas about how you could liberalise the system - so that it would be possible for extra people to get to university."

Any such proposals would have to comply with the government's support for social mobility, he said.

But with such strong political sensitivity around tuition fees and social mobility, the government was forced to clarify that such changes would not mean any priority university entrance for the privileged.

"There is no question of wealthy students being able to buy a place at university. Access to a university must be based on ability to learn not ability to pay," said a statement from Mr Willetts.

There had already been an angry reaction from students and lecturers at the prospect of extra places being created for students rich enough to fund themselves through a degree course.

Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, said such a scheme would "create a two-tier system that allows the richest, less able applicants a second bite at the university cherry and denies low and middle-income students the same opportunity".

"It simply cannot be the case that daddy's money can buy you a place at this university. Off-quota places are a badly disguised attempt to completely remove the cap on fees," said Rahul Mansigani, president of Cambridge University students' union.

'Turning back the clock'

"Far from increasing social mobility, it is hard to see how this is anything other than the government entrenching privilege for the wealthy in response to its failing university fees policy," said the UCU lecturers' union leader, Sally Hunt.

"We risk turning the clock back to a time when breeding rather than brains were required to get on in life."

Universities Minister David Willetts: "It would be important to do it in a way that improved social mobility."

"This manifestly unfair and elitist policy smacks of total desperation from a government whose universities policy is in freefall," said David Barclay, president of Oxford University Student Union.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust education charity, said: "This proposal is likely to deal a serious blow to social mobility, allowing the better-off to buy advantage in the university system, just as they do in the school system."

But there was also support for the idea of allowing universities greater freedom over creating extra places.

Andy Westwood, chief executive of the Guild HE group of universities, said that it could give universities more flexibility over the number of places they could offer for poorer students.

"Providing off-quota places can be socially progressive," said Mr Westwood.

"With the right incentives, this could lead to more innovative and flexible choices such as part-time, intensive and modular courses, with 'pay as you go' options," he said.

The proposals are being considered as part of a government White Paper on higher education set to be published next month.

At present, the government sets a quota for publicly-funded university places each year - and the idea of "off quota" places is that universities could create additional places for those students who did not have to borrow loans to pay tuition fees.

There are already companies such as KPMG which have plans to sponsor students through university - creating such "off quota" places.

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University drops redundancy plan

18 May 2011 Last updated at 12:28 GMT Glasgow Caledonian has achieved 95% of its ?5m annual savings target A Scottish university has removed the threat of compulsory redundancy from staff after making significant progress towards annual savings of ?5m.

Glasgow Caledonian had been consulting on plans to cut up to 95 posts during a restructuring exercise to merge its six existing departments into three.

The university said it had achieved 95% of the savings target "through non-pay and voluntary means".

It hopes to meet the remainder through a vacancy freeze and redeployments.

Restructuring plans were unveiled in March, to merge the university's six existing departments - or "schools" - into three larger ones.

Those jobs most at risk in each department were in senior management, administrative and support services, and marketing and human resources.

Restructuring exercise

The university's combined union committee strongly opposed the plan and threatened to explore possible industrial action if the threat of compulsory redundancy was not lifted.

University management said on Wednesday it could now rule out that possibility.

Principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Pamela Gillies, said: "We are delighted to entirely remove the risk of compulsory redundancy from all parts of the university in relation to this necessary restructuring exercise.

"We are very grateful for the participation of so many staff in the consultation process and for the many ideas and positive contributions which have enabled us both to achieve these savings and to put further flesh on the detail of the proposed future structure of our university.

"Throughout this process we made a commitment to identify alternatives to compulsory redundancy and I am pleased that we achieved this well before the end of the statutory consultation period."

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India: The next university superpower?

2 March 2011 Last updated at 21:32 GMT By Yojana Sharma Asia Editor, University World News Students queue for application forms for Delhi University - an institution with 300,000 students India has ambitious plans to increase graduate numbers in a way which would give it the size and status of an education superpower.

The figures are staggering. India's government speaks of increasing the proportion of young people going to university from 12% at present to 30% by 2025 - approaching the levels of many Western countries.

It wants to expand its university system to meet the aspirations of a growing middle class, to widen access, and become a "knowledge powerhouse".

It will mean increasing the country's student population from 12 million to over 30 million, and will put it on course to becoming one of the world's largest education systems.

"We will very likely be number two if not number one in terms of numbers," says Pawan Agarwal, a former civil servant and author of Indian Higher Education: Envisioning the Future.

With US enrolment stagnating and the UK cutting back on university places, "Indian graduates will become more visible globally, particularly in technical and engineering fields", Mr Agarwal predicts.

'Great leap forward'

KN Panikkar, vice chairman of the Kerala State Higher Education Council, describes India's higher education spending as undergoing a "great leap forward".

The amount of money in the central budget for higher education in the current five year plan (2010-2015) is nine times the amount of the previous five years.

But there is a steep hill to climb. India's National Knowledge Commission estimated the country needs 1,500 universities compared to around 370 now.

Hundreds of new institutions are being set up, including large new public universities in each state. The number of prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Management (IIMs) are being expanded from seven to 15.

India's private university sector is also growing rapidly, particularly in professional education in information technology, engineering, medicine and management where there is huge demand from the burgeoning middle classes.

But that will not be enough. To bridge the gap the government last year tabled legislation to invite foreign universities to set up branch campuses. The Foreign Providers Bill is currently making its way through parliament.

'Fever pitch'

Last year there were reports of up to 50 foreign universities being interested in setting up in India. The hype reached fever pitch in November during the visit of US President Barack Obama and a large group of US university presidents.

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If only 1% of the population can afford the fees, then it will be very serious for the country in terms of equity”

End Quote KN Panikkar Kerala State Higher Education Council UK Higher Education minister David Willetts and the largest-ever Canadian delegation were also in the country, enthusiastically talking of university partnerships.

Some foreign universities are already in place. The UK's Leeds Metropolitan University provides management degrees on a 36-acre campus in Bhopal in central India.

Lancaster University runs courses at the GD Goenka World Institute - a 69-acre site near Delhi. Both institutions opened in 2009 as joint ventures with Indian non-profit partners under existing laws.

Some bring faculty and staff from their home institutions, but even the most prestigious public institutions, including the IITs, are struggling to fill top faculty positions and teacher student ratios are deteriorating.

Foreign institutions able to lure staff with higher salaries will make the situation worse, detractors of the Foreign Providers Bill point out.

Mr Panikkar says foreign and private institutions are not the answer. "If only 1% of the population can afford the fees, then it will be very serious for the country in terms of equity."

Fair access

Access is an important issue for the government which came to power because the benefits of India's rapid economic growth were seen to have bypassed the country's poor.

Students in the chemistry department at the private Amity University in Noida

While more than 95% of children now attend primary school, just 40% attend secondary school, according to the World Bank. That in itself will limit growth in university enrolment.

The World Bank has said India's economic success cannot be sustained without major investment in education, including higher education, with public spending on the sector still lagging behind countries like China and Brazil.

But the gold-rush mentality has dissipated. The Foreign Providers Bill is stuck in a parliament that has done little business since a telecommunications corruption scandal erupted last year.

"There has been some toning down of expectations of foreign universities," said Rahul Choudaha, associate director, World Education Services in New York and a close observer of the sector.

"The public university system in many countries is in crisis, facing serious budget cuts. They are not ready to invest money in partnerships."

Some "gold diggers" were dissuaded as the government made it clear for-profit companies would not be allowed to exploit India's thirst for higher education.

Unlike Singapore and China, the Indian government does not want to appear to favour foreign institutions by providing public money or large land grants.

Duke University, based in North Carolina in the US, has been interested in India for some time.

"We want to develop Duke as a globally-networked university. The best researchers are those connected globally," says Gregory Jones, Duke's vice president and vice provost for global strategy.

'Eastward shift'

But its Shanghai campus will be in operation first. "They [Shanghai] were willing to donate and build the first phase at their expense so it was a financially-viable proposition for us," said Mr Jones.

"It is not yet clear how we will develop our presence in India. It is a complicated reform bill."

An eastward shift in the geography of science and technology is a major draw as international companies set up research and development sites in India and China.

"We are tapping into the research potential of these Asian countries," says Professor Pradeep Khosla, dean of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering.

The prestigious US institution has teamed up with India's Shiv Nadar Foundation to open an engineering college in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

But these joint ventures are not fully-fledged overseas campuses. "Only a handful of overseas universities are thinking about that seriously," said Mr Agarwal. "But even if they go ahead it will not be enough. They will only increase capacity for hundreds of Indian students, not millions."

That means huge public spending on colleges outside the cities, says Mr Panikkar who has written extensively on social justice in higher education. He believes the enrolment targets are too ambitious given limited public resources and bottlenecks in staffing and infrastructure.

"What is achievable is adding perhaps 10 million students to existing capacity in the next five to seven years," he says.

That would still be a major achievement, but some way from making India an education superpower.

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