New government make students’ promises
The Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition government have pledged to fund a number of new university places.
The coalition government have failed however to include how many places it plans to fund, how it plans to fund them or how they intend for the fees system to work.
Rather than announcing an intention for the future of higher education funding within England, the Lib-Con Coalition has chosen to await the Browne Review. This is inspite all 57 Liberal Democrat MPs signing the National Union of Students Pledge to not increase fees.
The Browne Review was launched in December 2009 to examine the funding system of Higher Education and make any recommendation as to what the future system should be.
Political parties have since been accused of hiding behind the review with none of the main stream parties announcing coherent or complete system of funding for higher education.
In the ‘Programme for Government’, the coalition plan for its time in power, they do however acknowledge that the Browne Review would need to be judged alongside “the need to  increase social mobility; take into account the impact on student debt;  ensure a properly funded university sector; improve the quality of teaching; advance scholarship; and attract a higher proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The National Union of Students has sought clarification from the coalition in the form of an open letter. Aaron Porter, the President Elect of NUS said: “Now Liberal Democrats are in government and that Vince Cable has been placed in charge of Department for Business, we hope that [the Government] will now be able to make good on your commitments to work to introduce a fairer alternative to higher fees.”
Photo by World Economic Forum.
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