On Thursday the 30th May, Philip Augar, chair of the independent
panel tasked with reviewing the post-18 education and funding
system in England, will launch the panel's recommendations and
findings.
The Review is the first to examine post-18 education funding in
almost a decade, and as well as considering tuition fees, will
also consider the funding of wider post-18 qualifications and
further education.
Commenting ahead of the publication of the Review's
findings, Rt Hon , Executive Chairman of the
Education Policy Institute (EPI), said:
“The Augar Review has involved a serious and thoughtful analysis
of some of the strengths and weaknesses of our system of post-18
education funding, and its conclusions deserve to be carefully
considered notwithstanding the current political turbulence and
the uncertainty over the likely stance of the next Prime
Minister.
In particular, the Review makes a strong case for better funding
of qualifications below degree level, and for moving to a fairer
and more coherent system of support for all post-18
qualifications.
“EPI will be looking closely at the individual policy proposals
to consider their likely impact and cost, and will publish a more
detailed assessment following their release."
EPI Analysis: Post-18 education and funding
options
Earlier this month, the Education Policy Institute published a
detailed report examining the evidence on the various post-18
policy options for the government. The report scrutinises policy
proposals on tuition fees, student support, and non-HE funding;
outlining the evidence for each policy option, before setting out
recommendations on how the government should proceed.
Key findings from the report include:
- Proposals from the government and opposition parties to
reduce or abolish tuition fees, or lower interest rates, would
have a regressive impact.
- To help address inequities between higher and further
education funding, maintenance loans should be extended to 19-23
year olds pursuing vocational, level 3 qualifications.
- The government should avoid a system in which tuition fees
vary by subject or university.
- Imposing a minimum academic standard to access university
loans – a ‘UCAS tariff floor’ – should not be introduced without
strong evidence that the majority of those denied loans would be
better off pursuing other education routes.
You can read the full report here.
