Professor speaks out over part time student fees
A university professor has recently spoken out over the university fees for part time students, stating that with more and more part time students now in the UK something needs to be done to address the fairness of fees for this particular group. His comments come as a review has been launched over how students pay for their university education, and Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck, University of London, has said that the growing number of part time students in the UK must not be ignored.
He stated: “It’s time for a fair deal for part-time students. The ongoing fees debate has so far ignored more than a third of the UK’s university student population: the 700,000 people who study part-time. If this figure comes as a surprise then you are probably not alone. For too long part-time higher education has been the Cinderella of the sector, impoverished by serious financial inequities that exist between part-time and full-time students and the institutions which educate them. Unlike full-time students, part-timers do not qualify for up-front loans and means tested fee support covers only around 50% of the fees, even for those with the lowest incomes. The costs of teaching a part-time student is significantly higher than a full-time equivalent (some 44%), yet institutions receive only a 10% funding premium. Add to this the effects of the government’s decision to withdraw support for students who are re-skilling by studying for an equivalent level qualification (ELQ) in a new subject and you can appreciate why part-time institutions feel ignored by the government’s higher education agenda.”
He added: Unfortunately, the problem is not always recognised. For example the recent CBI report on links between business and universities paid little attention to part-time study despite its obvious appeal for up-skilling employees. Indeed, the report incorrectly indicates that loans are available to all students rather than, as is the case, being limited to full-time students. There are signs, however, that the attitude is beginning to change. For example, in commenting on the CBI report, David Willetts, the Shadow Secretary of State, pointed out this error and said: “we need to look for a new deal for part-time students”.
Similarly Lord Mandelson, in his recent speech at Birkbeck said: “The model of university education as something solely for those in late adolescence is badly outdated. Almost half of British university students are mature students and most of the future British workforce of the 2020s are already in their twenties or older and will need flexible learning options to exploit university education. Under these circumstances, it is hard to disagree that a more diverse range of options for higher education students in the UK is a good thing.”
He went on to state: “Clearly we must at last address the inequality between part-time and full-time students. This was recognised by the recent Universities Select Committee report when it commented that:
“Treatment of part-time and mature students needs to be improved. The failure of the current system to treat them on the same basis as full-time students… is in effect a form of discrimination that is not only wrong but also hinders the achievement of the government’s objective of 40% of adults in England gaining a University qualification by 2020. The forthcoming review of fees needs to examine all aspects of support for part-time and mature students.”
Tags: student fees, lowest incomes, fee support, higher education agenda, United Kingdom, time study, ELQ, student costs
