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Student part-time jobs: arriving too late to the party

It seems many universities have started to arrive late to the ‘party’ of students in part-time jobs.  Last week, Tom Williams wrote in Times Higher Education that the ‘Rise in working students ‘should prompt a radical teaching rethink’.  He observed…

Office for Students under scrutiny: students must be silent: UPDATE: the inquiry trundles on

Sure enough the much needed House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee inquiry into the workings of the Office for Students has moved on since the end of April. For the OfS, April may have seemed the cruellest month, but now its May…

Fees, loans, tax and fairness

The idea of a graduate tax and radical reform of how universities are funded has come to the fore yet again.  The Labour leadership has been far too shy in accepting that they have painted themselves into a corner on…

Post-16 qualifications taken with a pinch of salt

The Education Committee’s review of ‘The future of post-16 qualifications’ was released recently. It is comprehensive and it is taking time for the implications to sink in. It is highly critical of the government in promoting T-levels as an exclusive…

Observations from Agreement 25 conference in Belfast: no turning back

There is a slight detour this week to look at the political developments in Northern Ireland last week. On behalf of students today, TEFS asks the question, ‘What has the Good Friday Agreement done for us?’ The voices of reason…

Government policy sacrifices university education at the altar of public opinion

A recent article in the Guardian from Adrian Chiles appears to encapsulate and reinforce public opinion on universities with ‘English students spend a fortune to go to university. Shouldn’t that buy them more teaching and less partying?’ It appears that…

New advanced university planned in operation ’Future Shock’ UPDATE

UPDATE 1st April 2023 Today a Department for Education spokesperson has flatly denied that there are plans for a new university. In an official statement they made it clear that, “At first we were convinced this was a true story…

Budget 2023: Nothing for students to see here

If any students, or universities and their staff, were expecting some assistance from the government in the budget last week, they were sadly disappointed. Students and their living costs are not mentioned. Instead, some families can expect limited respite on…

The ticking time bomb of student hardship UPDATE

The worsening situation of increasing numbers of students coming under financial pressure and hardship is moving on fast.  The defensive campaign for help seems to be advancing slowly by crawling while under fire.  Yet advancing it is.  Two more reports…

The high price of losing BTECs

Removing BTECs from the qualification options for large numbers of students will have a profound and lasting effect on those hoping to strive for something better. The success of past BTEC students provides a ready reminder of what is already…

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