Many inside the debate acquired their education prior to Dearing and University fees. Certainly all before the change to inadequate maintenance loans. I trust they have not forgotten this and that they remind others. Remember many cannot afford the bicycle, never mind living in Oxford or Cambridge. The Social Mobility Pledge indicates a willingness to support change. In the midst of the increasing turmoil in our universities, staff strike action and student disruption, there was one important event that attracted little attention. It addressed a major rift that is widening in our society to the point that it may be impossible to repair. The problems are social and economic division and a related low level of social mobility. A comprehensive review by the Sutton Trust in 2017 noted that “ The UK (along with the US) is one of the lowest performing countries for income mobility across the OECD ” (see: ‘The State of Social Mobility in the UK’ produced by Boston Consulting Grou...

Extending the career ladder further and higher to filter out those less able to pay. In a twist of perfectly symmetrical irony, the recent advertisement for a replacement chair of the Social Mobility Commission indicates that it is an unpaid position. It would be hard to make this up. As the pensions dispute between UUK and UCU rumbles on, it looks like a playground game of ‘me first’ has started. UUK unilaterally announced that they were commissioning an ‘independent’ review of the USS pension scheme without talking with UCU first. This is clearly a childish reaction to the situation and it would serve UUK and us all better if they negotiated first. Meanwhile, protests continue against a backdrop of multiple sources of discontent. One such source of deep rooted discontent is the prevalence of unpaid internships for graduates that favours the few with enough money to play. They can pay to stay in the game for longer and win while employers extend the ladder. This resentmen...

Spare a thought for vulnerable students "for students armed with very few rights in precarious employment, imagine telling an employer that you cannot do a shift because an examination has been rescheduled. Imagine doing this twice or three times. They cannot resign in protest; if they lose their job all could be lost. But they too want radical change" The last week saw the latest round of what is rapidly escalating strike action by university lecturers. This action is now sustained, escalating and unprecedented. The extraordinary scenes outside UCU headquarters on Tuesday were the manifestation of a social media tornado that has not been seen before. But more worryingly is the effect on examinations and support for vulnerable students in the coming weeks. The usual tactic of management making overt threats to staff to diffuse the action has backfired spectacularly. Attempts to divide studen ts and staff have also failed as more and more students join the dispute wit...

Who is Philip Augar? Maybe the starving cotton workers in England in the 19 th Century, as a consequence of a civil war in America  that paralysed their industry, still haunts him. Theresa May revealed today that Philip Augar will chair the review into post-18 education and funding. Some will know of his writing on the stage of the financial sector and banking both in the UK and wider afield. Some will fear what he will bring to the table as he may seek to dismantle the whole UK tertiary education system in the UK. His article of 2010 “ A better way to break up the banks ” ( https://hbr.org/2010/02/a-better-way-to-break-up-the-banks ) is telling in this respect. With regard to regulation of banking and investment he notes; “ A simpler and more effective approach would be to prohibit banks that traded for customers or for themselves from giving advice to clients .” For ‘banks’ substitute ‘universities’ and see how a simple solution could mean that Theresa May is taking ...

It seems that she was part of a Government that embarked on a flight that got too close to the sun and now has crashed into the sea while we all look on passively.   In her speech today at Derby College, Theresa May called for a comprehensive review and reforming of the tertiary education system in Great Britain. It was telling that she referred to Great Britain throughout and not to the UK.   She should be reminded that she leads the government of the United Kingdom that includes   Northern Ireland;   yet also acknowledge that tertiary education policy is devolved in that jurisdiction along with Scotland and Wales. She might as well have referred to England in relation to the review. Putting that aside, it seems that there is to be change on a relatively short time line. The panel is to be led by Philip Augar and five others labelled ‘experts. Experts in what is not evident at first but their experience in their chosen vocations is more evident. Notably abse...

Those that soldier on are less likely to get a 2.1 or degree or greater. It doesn’t stop there. They then are less likely to get a professional job. There is a major problem in access to, and success for, less well-off students aspiring to partake of Higher Education in Scotland. Hidden amongst the statistics and dry reports from Government are stark realities. For many individuals the dream of a better life through higher education is thwarted by a system that favours those with family support and better resources. If families cannot or are not willing to offer support then the less advantaged individual is destined to struggle to get to University. Once there they must endure greater challenges with the likelihood of doing less well than their better off peers.   The statistics prove this beyond doubt. The Scottish “Commissioner for Fair Access” has released in January a discussion paper that addresses “Retention, Outcomes and Destinations” of students in Universities...

Time for some classical logic? Mobility Commission: A tactical withdrawal or simply running away? The very public resignation of all of the board members of the Social Mobility Commission was painful to watch. The events today have highlighted the profound discomfort that many of us have about the state of our nation and our sense of fair play and equality. We are watching the country stagnate as able talent is set aside on the grounds of being ‘disadvantaged’. We are truly living in a poorer place. Alan Milburn and colleagues finally seem to have woken up to the reality that there is no will within Government to address a deep-rooted problem that affects the whole of the UK. Why they waited till right up to the end to run away, or execute a tactical withdrawal, is disturbing. Indeed, it is now apparent that the UK Government never took Social Mobility seriously. Instead, the Social Mobility Commission appears to be there to cover up the real intentions of a crudely drawn s...

Building a new bridge for students or sigh! - same old bridge? The BBC have reported: "The launch of a "major review" of university tuition fees is expected in the next few weeks - despite speculation that it was going to disappear into the political black hole of a minority government consumed by Brexit ." Will tuition fees be scrapped or saved by university review? BBC News 1st December 2017 On 20th November, on the lead up to the budget, TEFS reported: The most likely outcome is that a major review will be announced. This is likely to be reported in time for the Conservative election manifesto in the New Year as another election looms. See: The Budget and Student Fees: Give My Head Peace ! It came as a surprise that it did not get a men tion in the budget. Despite the glaring omission, it seems the problem will not go away. Neither will the students burdened with debt. Now the BBC are predicting a "major review".  The Governme...

Figures by Sara Cunningham Bell, Victoria College Belfast 2001 The budget (1) appeared to offer little to students that are hard pressed or indeed much incentive for those from a lower income background thinking of pursuing higher education. The prospect of little or no earnings growth for the next 20 years and inflation expanding has been reported widely (2) and confirms that the party is over for most of us.   The risk of spiralling debt will hold back many would-be students from lower income backgrounds. However there are some positive factors to consider first. Reasons to be cheerful…….. There are many factors for such students to consider even if they have little confidence in the future. There are some concessions that may help in settling the nerves and assist planning for a successful future.   It seems that raising the ‘Student Loans Repayment Threshold’ will cost £615m for the government by 2022/23. This will be offset to some degree by the ‘Tuition Fee ...