through a student brochure is all it takes to see why universities are so concerned by the pandemic, and the collapse in international travel it has wrought. A British undergraduate studying classics at Oxford, as the prime minister did, pays £9,250 a year for tuition. A Chinese undergraduate on the same course pays £27,285, almost three times as much.
Before the crisis, ministers had big ambitions. In his budget on March 11th, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, promised almost to double research and development spending to £22bn by 2024-25. But the ambition to invest in excellent research coexists with a belief in Downing Street that the sector has grown too big. Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s chief adviser, has previously questioned the value of “third rate[higher-education] institutions”.
I thought that’s what student loans were for?
The UK university model needs review. Having huge numbers of students trotting off to university is only productive for society if the students are being suitably stretched and challenged while studying. Students are not pushed enough, grade inflation partially to blame.
No bailouts until they remove all the marxists.