Quotas on student numbers may have to be introduced as a result of the government’s plans to raise the maximum tuition fees English universities can charge to £9,000. The amount of universities that are now going to charge the maximum fees turned out higher than was expected by the ministers responsible for these plans, directly resulting in the bill to fund the interest-free student loans turning out much higher than was expected as well. The funding gap caused by these miss-estimations will either require further cuts in higher education or further resources from the Treasury, said Margaret Hodge, who’s chair of the committee that reported this problem.
Some universities have announced their disapproval with the potential consequences of the government’s plans, Oxford university has even gone as far as to take a vote of no confidence in the higher education minister, David Willetts.
I consider education, together with (at least a fair degree of) aid for the less privileged in both home and foreign countries, to be the top priorities for any country that has the means. Consequently I am in favour of having the funding gap filled by extra resources from the treasury. I don’t quite know what the most logical options would be for what to cut spending on to provide for these extra resources. To mention one thing that might be part of the solution I would always be in favour of having the strongest shoulders bear the heaviest burden (within certain limits).
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