Million Plus

The university think tank, million+ comments today (7th August) on the new report written by Andrew Norton for HEPI ‘Unleashing student demand by ending number controls in Australia: An incomplete experiment’.  The report considers the impact of deregulated student numbers in Australia. 

Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of the university think-tank million+, said:

“The sustainability of the Government’s higher education reforms in England have already been called into question and the Australian experience should act as a warning to those who think that the problems will be solved by deregulating both fees and student number controls”

“When just 30% of young people progress to university in the South West of England compared with over 43% in London it is difficult to square the present Government’s deregulation of student numbers in 2015 with the stark regional variations in higher education participation rates in England”

“Deregulation would create risks for students, taxpayers and universities but it also leaves Ministers without any means to promote initiatives in the national interest. A free-for-all approach may be attractive in principle but as Australia shows only too clearly it is by no means plain sailing”. 

ENDS

1. For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Rochelle Owusu- Antwi, Press & Communications Officer on 0207 717 1658  or 07527 336795.
2. million+ is a leading university think-tank. More information about million+ can be found at www.millionplus.ac.uk
3. http://www.millionplus.ac.uk/research-policy/reports/latest-reports/research-report-smarter-regions-smarter-britain-boosting-regional-growth-through-universities