Higher education

Where’s the evidence? By Colin Talbot

8 March 2011 | Colin Talbot

The New Labour government made a great song and dance about ‘evidence-based policy’, which was generally observed more in rhetoric than in reality. But to be fair to them, their period in office did see a big increase in knowledge about ‘what works’ and ‘what performs’ in government, even if they didn’t always (often?) act on it. Read more...

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Crying Wolf on NEETs? by Conor Ryan

7 March 2011 | Conor Ryan

I am something of a fan of Alison Wolf’s acerbic and polemic approach to education and the labour market, which is why I invited her to contribute to two volumes of essays that I edited for think tanks in the past. And there is much that is good in her eminently readable report on vocational education, even if it may not all be welcomed in the exam industry. Read more...

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Students united, by Iain Macwhirter

9 December 2010 | Iain Macwhirter

Scottish students might not be directly affected by the increase in tuition fees that their English counterparts face. But they have good reason to protest given the likely introduction of some form of graduate contribution Read more...

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Policy paradox on university funding, by Colin Talbot

7 December 2010 | Colin Talbot

The focus of debate around the proposed changes to university funding and student fees has been much more on the latter than the former. But, in reality, the coalition’s policies are much more focused on universities, and the student finance issues is more of a means to and end – the effective privatisation of universities and forcing financially-based competition between them. Read more...

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Tuition fees: why Wales leads the way, by Malcolm Prowle

3 December 2010 | Malcolm Prowle

There have been several blogs (including my own) on the PF blog recently about the decision to alter the structure of higher education funding in England and impose much higher fees on university students. Read more...

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Time for a retrospective graduate tax? By Colin Talbot

26 November 2010 | Colin Talbot

The escalating movement against cuts in higher education teaching funding, linked to potentially huge hikes in tuition fees to £9,000 a year, has taken most commentators by surprise. The scale of the protests, so quickly after the policy was announced, is unusual and suggests a deep reaction is underway. Read more...

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A graduate tax by any other name, by Martin Pliener

17 November 2010 | Martin Pliener

It looks like we will have some fun accounting issues with the new system for financing higher education.  In particular, around whether it is really a ‘loan’ system as against a ‘graduate tax’, and if it is a ‘loan system’ who are the  borrowers and lenders. Read more...

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Are student fees the coalition’s poll tax? By Malcolm Prowle

12 November 2010 | Malcolm Prowle

Read more...

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Winners and losers from HE reforms, by the Institute for Fiscal Studies

12 November 2010 | Lorraine Dearden

Last week, the Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts, announced the government’s proposals for higher education funding in England, in response to last month’s publication of the Browne Review. Read more...

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False hopes on university fees, by Colin Talbot

4 November 2010 | Colin Talbot

On yesterday’s Today programme Education Secretary Michael Gove – reputedly a man of great intelligence – maintained that raising university tuition fees to nearly three times their current level would have absolutely no effect on levels of applications from students from lower and middle-income backgrounds. Read more...

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