Complete overhaul of university funding required, not damaging tinkering, says UCU

Responding to a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) that considers making the parents of students from higher income families bear some of the cost of their tuition, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said:

'Moving the money around in higher education will not solve the sector's problems. Although bringing back an upfront tuition fee would be an incredible step backwards and contradict what ministers tasked with selling the current policy have been telling us for years.

'The last thing we need is tinkering with an already failing system. The government needs to be bold enough to make the case for education and to properly fund it. There is a clear economic case to be made for investing in our graduates. Aside from the obvious benefits of more teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers etc, graduates are less likely to commit crimes, they are less likely to be a burden on the NHS and less likely to stretch the creaking benefits system.

'There is little point in robbing Peter to pay Paul and the government needs to have a serious look at all the options when it comes to funding our universities. The bottom line is that putting up financial barriers to studying higher education will never ensure that the brightest students, whatever their backgrounds, will be able to study the courses that best suit them or our wider society.'