Students left exposed as Government announces university cutbacks

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson last month announced severe cutbacks in funding for universities as the Government attempts to ‘rebalance’ higher education budgets. Experts have criticised the reductions by identifying the growing competition for places at already oversubscribed universities. Public sector spending is a critical topic running up to this summer’s general election, and Mandelson’s announcement, he explained, will “spur to further diversifying funding of British universities.”

Lord Mandelson declared budgets would be slashed by £135 million next year, on top of £180 million savings over the next 18 months, and a further £600 million cuts to be made from 2012, according to the Pre-Budget report. At a wider glance, public funding cuts would total £950 million between 2010 to 2013, ministers have said.

The structure of British universities will fundamentally change as a result of these cuts, with departments expected to close, degree courses scrapped and the inevitable increase in tuition fees after this autumn’s student finance review. The Business Secretary told peers tighter budgets would “focus minds” on teaching and research quality. However, will quality improve, or will future students have to pay twice as much for tuition for the same standards in teaching?

“Lord Mandelson has to understand that you do not just get more for less”, University and College Union general secretary Sally Hunt said in a statement. “Considering we already spend less that our competitor countries on higher education, few people will agree that slashing funding is the way to ensure the UK can retain, let alone improve, its world-class reputation.”

Universities will be forced to find other sources of money. Unsurprisingly, Labour, as well as the Conservatives, are in support of the student finance review, which will inevitably declare an increase in tuition fees to somewhere between £5,000 and £7,000. This comes as fantastic news for universities, the majority of which have pursued higher fees ever since public sector cuts were accepted as an inevitable outcome for the next Government. However, the increase in tuition fees is only a solution for the universities and the Government. Future students could be left exposed by the lack of guarantees to improve the quality in standards at British universities.

Lord Mandelson said, “Universities are aware of the Government’s requirement for this rebalancing and for universities to grow their intake at a pace and on scale for which resources exist to support and we have always made that clear.” In an attempt to resolve oversubscribed universities, Mandelson explained universities would be fined for each student they took on this year above their set limits. Two-year “fast-track” degrees have been identified as another solution to this problem.

However, critics are unconvinced that shorter courses hold the key for cramped universities. Professor Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire University, described fast-track degrees as “tinkering at the edges” and Sally Hunt said Mandelson’s letter was a “kick in the teeth” for staff and students.

Public sector cuts are inevitable following the Government’s mammoth expenditure during the recession. Savings will be made across the board, with universities and higher education likely to be hit hard. The question for students and professionals at academic institutions is: what will be the effect on quality of standards at universities? Higher tuition fees are unavoidable, which is a solution for university chiefs. By paying possibly more than double for tuition fees, will students see a greater quality of teaching and student support that justifies this increase? Gordon Brown and David Cameron would like to think so, while students and experts remain unconvinced.