, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary,
commenting on the publication of the higher education
restructuring regime, said:
"Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on universities, but
they continue to provide the research and skills our country
needs to move past the crisis.
"Today's announcement shows that the Government is willing
to let cherished institutions fail, with catastrophic
consequences for local and regional economies.
"Instead of using this crisis as an excuse to centralise
control over universities and force through cuts to courses, the
Government should pledge that no university will be allowed to go
bust."
Ends
Notes to Editors
-
The government have today published a restructuring
regime for higher education institutions that are in financial
difficulty due to coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime
-
The paper includes the suggestion that higher education
providers may face restrictions on courses that the government
feel do not deliver for students
“The conditions imposed as part of the Restructuring Regime
will be designed to ensure those providers make changes that
will enable them to make a strong contribution to the nation’s
future. We need a future HE sector which delivers the skills
the country needs: universities should ensure courses are
consistently high quality and focus more heavily upon subjects
which deliver strong graduate employment outcomes in areas of
economic and societal importance, such as STEM, nursing and
teaching. Public funding for courses that do not deliver
for students will be reassessed.”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/900917/Higher_education_restructuring_regime.pdf,
p3, [5]
-
Similarly, the government have suggested that
universities relying on the Restructuring Regime will need to
uphold particular values of free speech, though this is not
defined.
“And all universities must, of course, demonstrate their
commitment to academic freedom and free speech, as cornerstones
of our liberal democracy”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/900917/Higher_education_restructuring_regime.pdf,
p3, [5]
