Better communication key to resolving devolved problems in higher education says UCU

Responding to the report 'Devolution and higher education: impact and future trends', published by Universities UK, the union added that it believed the fact that more students were opting to study closer to home was a direct result of the increased cost of university and rising student debt.
 
UCU said that improved dialogue between ministers and departments responsible for higher education in the devolved bodies was key to resolving the complexities identified in the report. It also recommended greater recognition of the impact of devolution when policy is being developed.

'The report...fails to properly take into account the impact of the introduction of top-up fees and the low level of student support.'

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The report states that devolution has resulted in students staying in their home country but it fails to properly take into account the impact of the introduction of top-up fees and the low level of student support, which we believe are forcing many students to study closer to home.

'Ministers must take devolution into account when developing and announcing policy and be clear which countries are affected. Advice to students should clearly explain costs for study across the whole of the UK and the support available to them, and more must be done to alleviate the impact of differing student funding arrangements across borders.
 
'While we welcome the finding that higher education is growing in all four parts of the UK, we are concerned about the lack of participation by students from lower socio-economic groups in England, the only nation where we have a dedicated Office for Fair Access (OFFA). We remain unconvinced that sentencing students to record levels of debt is the way to open up university. The fact is, that despite record sums of money having been spent on widening participation, there has been little change in the proportion of students from the poorest backgrounds entering higher education.'