Welsh Government
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Evidence summary published as part of the Diamond Review
A factual summary of the evidence collected as part of the ongoing review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance Arrangements in Wales has been published today.
The review, which is being carried out by a panel chaired by Sir Ian Diamond, began in April 2014.
At that stage it was agreed that Sir Ian would produce a factual summary of the evidence he and the panel had collected in autumn 2015.
Education Minister, Huw Lewis said:
“Since April 2014 Sir Ian Diamond and his review panel have made good progress in reviewing a wide range of evidence and data relating to the Higher Education sector and to Higher Education funding.
“Sir Ian’s summary report, which we are publishing today summarises the evidence considered by the panel between April 2014 and September 2015.
“The report identifies the key themes arising from that evidence, however it does not make any judgement about the validity or significance of that evidence. Nor does it seek to represent the Review panel’s view or provide any recommendations. These will be presented in the final report which will be issued in September 2016.”
Professor Sir Ian Diamond said:
“I am delighted that the interim report of our Working Group is being published. It is a summary of all the evidence we have received.
“We have been extremely impressed both by the engagement of the many stakeholders with the work of the Review and with the imaginative and evidence based suggestions they have made.
“The commitment of so many people to a healthy and vibrant higher education system in Wales bodes well, not only for Welsh Higher Education but, more broadly, for Wales. It further inspires us for the next stage of our work which will be to build on the principles in the interim report to propose a sustainable system of higher education funding for Wales.”
The summary of evidence does show that as a result of the Welsh Government’s current student finance policy, HE students domiciled in Wales benefit from low student debt levels than those in England.
It also highlights that Wales is a net importer of students and that as a result Welsh HE institutions receive more in tuition fees from English and other UK students than they pay out to institutions based over the border.
Alongside the interim report, The Welsh Government is also publishing three additional documents from the Panel which provide further evidence in relation to the review.
These are a summary of responses to the Review Panel’s Call for Evidence, a report commissioned by the panel on part time higher education and a report on the focus groups used to gauge opinions from students and student representatives, employers and widening access professionals.
Related documents:
