Oxford no confidence vote should prompt a rethink

By Gareth Thomas MP

The vote of no confidence in David Willetts by Oxford academics confirms what a series of independent experts have already made clear; the government’s higher education policy to treble tuition fees is unfair, unnecessary and unsustainable.

The vote is unprecedented. Not since 1985 when Oxford University snubbed Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by refusing her an honorary degree, has the university sent out such a message of discontent at government policy.

But this vote should be no surprise to David Cameron and George Osborne. It is their economic policy and their demand for 80% cuts in Higher Education, far higher than in any other area of the public sector, which has caused this debacle.

Independent experts said before the rushed vote on tuition fees in December that their plans were ill-thought through and would not only lead to limited choices for students from low and middle income families, but that their figures did not add up.

David Cameron promised that universities would only charge £9,000 tuition fees in ‘exceptional circumstances’. But, more than two thirds of universities want to charge the £9,000 maximum fees for some or all courses – and only a handful are offering all their courses below £8,000 per year.

The government based its financial plans on a £7,500 average fee. If average fees are higher than £7,500, the Treasury and therefore the taxpayer, will be seriously out of pocket.

To deal with this shortfall, Vince Cable and David Willetts have threatened to cut student places or reduce teaching funding even further. And in recent weeks we’ve even seen ministers suggesting that rich students should be able to buy their way into university or that poorer students should wait until the last minute to pick up bargain degrees.

Now the government seems determined to use its much delayed White Paper to allow a big expansion in courses run by US style for-profit universities. While we already have successful and effective private providers operating in the UK, figures from the House of Commons Library reveal a far lower level of students completing their degrees with US for-profit providers, with much higher drop-out rates compared to public or not for-profit universities.

Already we’ve seen AC Grayling announce that he and other leading academics intend to set up a private university, charging those who can afford it £18,000 per year tuition. It’s a sad reflection of the scale of government cuts that investment in the arts and humanities must come from a private instituition, out of reach from most people.

After the huge and disproportionate 80% cut in university funding, some courses, particularly in the arts and humanities, are set to lose all or virtually all their public funding. Part-time fees too are set to rise significantly and there are real concerns about what the impact will be on applications for postgraduate study from UK graduates.

The UK is the only country in the OECD apart from Romania cutting its funding for higher education and science. By contrast President Obama has pledged the largest ever commitment to research and innovation in American history. France and Germany too are investing heavily in higher education to help drive economic growth and new jobs.

The government appears to believe that the only problem with its Higher Education policy is a matter of communication. But with some of the finest minds in academia having now given a resounding vote of no confidence in David Willetts, the government will no doubt now struggle to argue that those that oppose their policies just simply do not understand them.

The government must now listen to the scale of concern, up and down the country, and use their upcoming and much delayed White Paper to signal a substantial rethink.