Sykes attacks Government over fees
Imperial’s rector, Sir Richard Sykes, has attacked the governments plans over top up fees, and in particular how bursaries will be funded.
The issue of bursaries came up in both of Sir Richard’s commemoration day speeches, when he explained that the only criteria that would ever be applied to Imperial entrants would be scholastic aptitude and not the ability to pay. With the system of top-up fees that looks most likely to come into force, students will be expected to pay up to £3000 after graduation for their courses and universities will be able to set their own fees, but will be expected to have some sort of system in place to allow those students who cannot afford these fees to attend university. Sir Richard’s problem is with how this support is going to be provided.
There is a government proposal to take just under a third of these fees and to put them in a central pool that will be available to all universities and all students, rather than simply letting colleges and universities make their own arrangements. Sir Richard was quoted in the Sunday Times as saying that he did not want Imperial to subsidise ‘tin-pot universities’. He also stated that he felt this was a political move to try and buy the support of left wing labour Mps who might otherwise vote against the proposals, rather than a well thought through education policy.
On an unrelated note, after a few technical problems at the end of last week, the Felix website is functioning properly again, and issue 1275 will be online soon!
