SHAKING UP HIGHER ED – TEF’S SILVER LINING

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged academia, academic staff, academics, change, Durham University, education policy, HE Act, HE bill, higher education, Higher Education and Research Act, historical privilege, REF, research, research excellence framework, Save the Student, smaller HE institutions, status quo, teaching, teaching excellence framework, teaching staff, tef, TEF metrics, TEF results, tuition fees, universities, university, university finance, university league tables, University of Huddersfield, university staff.

Late last month, we saw the release of the first batch of Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) results. The TEF has been the subject of significant student opposition, with a Save the Student survey suggesting that as many as 76% of students oppose the implementation of the TEF. I was an opponent of it myself, particularly of links made between TEF scores and the ability of institutions to raise their tuition fees, though this plan has been postponed until 2020.

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DEBT RISING – HOW TUITION FEES ARE KILLING UNIVERSITIES

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged Aberystwyth University, campus closures, ConDem coalition, course cuts, cuts, Durham University, Free Education, GE17, government, graduates, Green Party, HE funding, interest, Labour, Manchester Metropolitan University, marketisation, Parliament, student debt, student life, student loans, student loans sell off, students, teaching, tony blair, Tories, tuition fees, universities, university closures, university of manchester, votes, voting.

Last week it was announced that the total student debt in the UK has reached over £100 billion for the first time. Whilst this milestone was inevitable, it is nonetheless an indictment of the current government’s claim that it is easy and convenient for students to pay off their debt under the post-2010 system.

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