That is the question many of us are asking.
One of the biggest and most significant changes to the Higher Education landscape in recent years has been the introduction of fees. This has brought with it increased strains not only on the bank balance of students as we are plunged further into debt (effectively portrayed in our Wall of Debt in the Union building foyer) but also on their welfare and the quality of education they are willing/able to aspire to.
Universities for their part are wrestling with the desire to provide a high quality education without pricing any students, from any socio-economic backgrounds, out of contention for that top education. Also of concern is the desire from academics (as pioneered in particular by UCU) to increase their wages in line with the increased pressures upon academics to not just teach and research but also to provide proper and regular feedback to students and contribute to the Research Assessment Exercise which aims to assess how good the quality of research is at each institution and to provide funding accordingly.
All of this is happening within an increasingly competitive Higher Education market, not just in Britain - which now sees roughly 42% of school leavers attending around 150 Universities - but also globally as Universities across the world are waking up to the statistics which say that they aren't competing with the likes of Britain and America. (http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2007/ARWU2007fulllistbyrank.pdf)
Some will put forward the case for education returning to the pre-fee days of being free.
Some will say that International student fees need to be regulated.
Some will say that we should have an open market in Higher Education allowing institutions to charge whatever they like.
Some will say that those studying for a second degree or are retraining should be given financial support to facilitate such study.
Is any of this possible or desireable?
With the government set to review the cap of £3000 for higher education in 2009 there has never been a better time to start asking these questions.
Therefore we have pulled together a fantastic panel for a Question Time style debate around this issue.
Thursday 15th May
7.30-9pm
Students' Union Auditorium
cost £1 available from the Students' Union box office.
• Bill Rammell MP – the Labour Minister for Higher Education
• Baroness Verma MP – a Conservative Shadow Higher Education Minister
• Wes Streeting – NUS President-elect
• Professor Keith Burnett – Vice Chancellor of the University of Sheffield
• Professor Rick Trainor – Head of Universities UK (which speaks for all UK Universities)
Check below link for more details:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=13582574411
Don't miss this opportunity to grill the key decision makers and educational leaders on the future of our higher education!!
One of the biggest and most significant changes to the Higher Education landscape in recent years has been the introduction of fees. This has brought with it increased strains not only on the bank balance of students as we are plunged further into debt (effectively portrayed in our Wall of Debt in the Union building foyer) but also on their welfare and the quality of education they are willing/able to aspire to.
Universities for their part are wrestling with the desire to provide a high quality education without pricing any students, from any socio-economic backgrounds, out of contention for that top education. Also of concern is the desire from academics (as pioneered in particular by UCU) to increase their wages in line with the increased pressures upon academics to not just teach and research but also to provide proper and regular feedback to students and contribute to the Research Assessment Exercise which aims to assess how good the quality of research is at each institution and to provide funding accordingly.
All of this is happening within an increasingly competitive Higher Education market, not just in Britain - which now sees roughly 42% of school leavers attending around 150 Universities - but also globally as Universities across the world are waking up to the statistics which say that they aren't competing with the likes of Britain and America. (http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2007/ARWU2007fulllistbyrank.pdf)
Some will put forward the case for education returning to the pre-fee days of being free.
Some will say that International student fees need to be regulated.
Some will say that we should have an open market in Higher Education allowing institutions to charge whatever they like.
Some will say that those studying for a second degree or are retraining should be given financial support to facilitate such study.
Is any of this possible or desireable?
With the government set to review the cap of £3000 for higher education in 2009 there has never been a better time to start asking these questions.
Therefore we have pulled together a fantastic panel for a Question Time style debate around this issue.
Thursday 15th May
7.30-9pm
Students' Union Auditorium
cost £1 available from the Students' Union box office.
• Bill Rammell MP – the Labour Minister for Higher Education
• Baroness Verma MP – a Conservative Shadow Higher Education Minister
• Wes Streeting – NUS President-elect
• Professor Keith Burnett – Vice Chancellor of the University of Sheffield
• Professor Rick Trainor – Head of Universities UK (which speaks for all UK Universities)
Check below link for more details:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=13582574411
Don't miss this opportunity to grill the key decision makers and educational leaders on the future of our higher education!!
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