UCU responds to 10,000 extra places in higher education

The government originally said it would be capping student numbers this summer but, with applications to university at a record high, it has now reversed its decision and announced extra financial support for students  wishing to study science, technology, engineering and maths. Today's news comes on the back of a report from UCU that revealed job cuts are being threatened across the higher education sector with science one of the biggest victims.
 
The University of Leeds has announced that 60 jobs in the Faculty of Biological Sciences will be axed, along with 40 jobs in the School of Healthcare and Imperial College London has said it wants to get rid of 130 jobs in its faculty of medicine. Over 4,500 jobs are at risk across higher education with over 80,000 students being affected. The union warned today that just cramming more students into universities while getting rid of staff would result in more trying to be delivered for less, with a damaging impact on the quality of UK higher education.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We know the power education has to transform lives and welcome the news from Peter Mandelson that he will afford more people the chance to study at university this year. However, we cannot just cram more students into our universities at a time when the staff required to teach and nurture them are being cut.
 
'If the government is serious about getting students to study more science, technology, engineering and maths subjects it cannot afford to sit idly by while universities making huge cuts to their provision. Our message to the government is quite simple – if we want to ensure we are delivering the highest possible quality of education to our students, we have to abolish any notion that it can be done on the cheap. Who is going to teach the extra students if university jobs are being axed? Proper funding is required for the extra places and unnecessary job cuts must be stopped.'