Putting students
at the heart of England's higher education (HE) system is
the central theme of the Government’s reforms announced today.
In future, graduates will pay more towards the cost of their
degrees, but – in return – the Government's proposals
will improve their experience as students, expand their choices
and make universities more accountable to students than ever before.
The proposals contained in ‘Students at the Heart of the System’
cover four broad areas: reforming funding; delivering a better
student experience; enabling universities to increase social
mobility; and reducing regulation and removing barriers for new providers.
These reforms will ensure that universities are held accountable
for an improved student experience. The HE White Paper published
today will:
Ensure better information for students before they apply, better
teaching while at university, greater transparency in areas such
as feedback on their work and better preparation for the job
market
Ask Professor Sir Tim Wilson to undertake a review into how
university-industry collaboration can excel: the review will look
at how the decline in sandwich courses can be reversed
Encourage universities to engage actively with employers to
accredit or “kitemark” courses to indicate to students that they
are valued by them
Make universities more accountable to students on teaching
quality, who can trigger quality reviews where there are grounds
for concern
Review the extent to which Student Charters are adopted and
whether they should be made mandatory in the future
Free up student number controls by making around 85,000 places
contestable among universities in 2012/13: through unrestrained
recruitment of high-achieving students who typically get AAB
grades, and by creating a flexible margin of places to reward
quality providers charging an average of £7,500 or less for
tuition
Ensure that the Office for Fair Access is properly resourced so
that it can go further and faster to drive fair access for
students from lower income families and widen participation
Enable a wider range of providers to join the sector to offer
more choice for students
Promise less regulation and bureaucracy for universities.
The White Paper comes as part of the wider government agenda to
put more power in the hands of the consumer. The Government has
launched a major programme for public sector modernisation by
cutting waste and bringing choice, encouraging competition and
opening the market up to new providers. For higher education, this
means that in future funding will follow the choices of the
student.
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince
Cable, said:
“Our university sector has a strong history with some world-class
institutions attracting students from across the globe. Higher
education is a successful public-private partnership; combining
Government funding with institutional autonomy.
“This White Paper builds on that record, while doing more than
ever to put students in the driving seat. We want to see more
investment, greater diversity, including innovative forms of
delivery from further education colleges and others, and less
centralised control over student numbers. But, in return, we want
to the sector to be more accountable to students, as well as to
the taxpayer.”
Universities Minister, David Willetts, said:
“The Government will reform the financing of higher education,
promote a better student experience and foster social mobility.
Our overall goal is a sector that is freed to respond in new ways
to the needs of students.
“Responding to student demand means enabling a greater diversity
of provision. This may mean more higher education going on in a
wider range of different settings, such as further education
colleges and other alternative providers offering innovative types
of course.
“We must move away from a world in which the number of students
allocated to each university is determined in Whitehall. But
universities will be under competitive pressure to provide better
quality and at lower cost.”
The Government has embarked on an ambitious programme of higher
education reform. Following the publication of Lord Browne’s
Independent Report on Higher Education Funding and Student Finance
in October 2010, Parliament voted in favour of increasing the cap
that students pay for their tuition from 2012/13.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will run a
full consultation on the overall package of proposals outlined in
the White Paper. Subject to parliamentary time, a Higher Education
Bill will be brought forward in 2012.
In addition to the overall consultation, Government will also
consult on:
Proposals for a single regulatory regime covering all
institutions wanting to be recognised in the English higher
education system
Early repayment mechanisms for student loans that would allow
graduates to pay back their loans early without undermining the
progressive nature of the system overall.
More information about the consultation process is available on
the HE reform website
www.bis.gov.uk/HEreform
Notes to editors
1. The White Paper can be read at:
www.bis.gov.uk/HEreform
2. Further details of the consultations in the White Paper
can be read on our HE Reform website:
www.bis.gov.uk/HEreform
3. Online forum The Student Room http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/
have created a discussion space specifically aimed at current and
prospective students - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/hewhitepaper
4. Comments can also be posted at the ‘Your Future’ Channel 4
partnership site: http://www.channel4.com/explore/yourfuture/
5. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press
notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It
also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See
http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Lucy Bell
Phone: 020 7215 5361
Lucy.Bell@bis.gsi.gov.uk