An online conference last week marked the ‘World Access to Higher Education Day’ and highlighted the universal problems of inequality in access and success in Higher Education. The activities of many countries and organisations dedicated to equality are to be…
A partial U-turn on the fate of post-16 education by the Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, earlier this week has created a ‘dog’s breakfast’ of choices for students in an already confused system. The plan to replace the more flexible BTECs…
The COP 26 conference of the United Nations ended a day late yesterday with many feeling the +1.5oC target could be missed in time. It is clear much more must be done. The final pact decision text was long on…
There is rising speculation and ‘advice’ for the government coming from many different quarters. It is fuelled by the failure of any response to Augar in the budget and no account taken of the costs of Higher Education (HE). There…
The big surprise in the budget and Spending review yesterday was what was missing. Some universities were acknowledged as world-class but Higher Education was omitted from any plans except for their role in research investment. It appears there may be…
The launch day of the delayed Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) is upon us and we fear what is still to emerge on Wednesday. There have been an unprecedented number of press releases and ‘leaks’ in advance of a budget vote…
With universities and colleges bracing themselves for the budget and the Comprehensive Spending review (CSR), they will also be looking to find more sources of revenue. Catering for students as a ‘captive audience’ on campus is one such source with…
With the dust settling on the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this week, there has been considerable reflection in all quarters. There was no indication of policy on university funding, equality or widening access. Indeed, the emphasis appeared to be…
After the dust settled on the Labour Conference in Brighton this week, we are reflecting on what happened. Most media outlets focussed their attention on divisions in the party between those trying to occupy the pragmatic centre ground and those…
With more pressure piled onto universities in recent weeks as term begins, it looks like something is bound to break soon. The crisis in admissions and examinations is only generating a sense of foreboding. Add to this the increase in…
