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Higher Education Reform
17 July 2023
Lead MP
Gillian Keegan
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSEducationEmployment
Other Contributors: 30
At a Glance
Gillian Keegan raised concerns about higher education reform in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Secretary of State announced the publication of the Government’s higher education reform consultation response. She highlighted that while UK higher education is globally renowned, with four universities among the world's top ten, there are still issues with some institutions failing to deliver positive outcomes for students. The reforms aim to ensure a fair price and good return on investment for university education, based on recommendations from Sir Philip Augar’s panel. Key initiatives include establishing a £40 million competitive degree apprenticeships fund and investing up to £115 million in higher technical education. The minister also emphasised the importance of shrinking underperforming parts of the sector, setting recruitment limits on providers with poor outcomes, and incorporating graduate earnings into quality assessments. She pledged that universities must meet rigorous standards, with a focus on phasing out low-value foundation year courses and monitoring their growth closely. The statement concluded by affirming the Government's commitment to ongoing reforms if necessary to ensure high-quality education.
Houghton and Sunderland South
Question
The shadow minister questioned the government's prioritization of university courses based on earnings, expressing concerns about the impact on local communities, particularly those far from established graduate job markets. She asked if the Prime Minister's degree was considered high-value under the new criteria.
Minister reply
Minister Keegan defended her party’s record and emphasised the importance of quality over quantity in education, citing examples such as school standards improvements and technical education reforms.
Peter Bottomley
Con
Worthing West
Question
The MP praised the government's expansion of degree apprenticeships and lifelong learning opportunities. He questioned the rating system’s potential to undervalue non-traditional career paths.
Minister reply
Minister Keegan acknowledged that five years after graduation, some courses lead to earnings less than £18,000 (below minimum wage), underscoring her commitment to quality measures.
Valerie Vaz
Lab
Walsall and Bloxwich
Question
The MP asked for a clear definition of what constitutes a low-value degree.
Minister reply
Minister Keegan explained that the Office for Students evaluates courses based on student retention, completion rates, employment outcomes, and progression into further education.
Robin Walker
Con
Erewash
Question
The MP welcomed the focus on choice but stressed the importance of recognising all universities as high-quality institutions without discrimination.
Minister reply
Minister Keegan agreed and highlighted the need for specific courses to offer quality, emphasising that students should know what they are investing in regarding debt and potential earnings.
Barry Sheerman
Lab
Huddersfield
Question
May I beg the Secretary of State not to throw the baby out with the bath water? Everybody wants good-quality degrees, and we all want degrees to lead to good, fulfilling occupations, but some of us are worried about the comments that were made in an interview this morning by the Secretary of State’s ministerial colleague that we have four or five of the best universities in the world, as if all the other 120 universities were rubbish. That is not the case. We have diverse universities and great courses.
Minister reply
I agree with the hon. Gentleman. We have an excellent university system with excellent universities. Four out of the top 10 are world-class, but if we broaden that to the top 100, many others would appear in that list. We have a good university sector, which is why it is most important that we protect the brand image. It is also very popular abroad, and every year more than 600,000 students choose to come here, which is more than to almost every other country in the world.
Kit Malthouse
Con
North West Hampshire
Question
I know the Secretary of State takes a more than purely transactional view of higher education, and I am with the Father of the House in hoping that in her reforms there will be protections for degrees that do not offer an immediate commercial advantage, such as theology, philosophy or the study of poetry. I also hope that within her reforms there will be protections to allow universities to innovate and introduce new courses.
Minister reply
I thank my right hon. Friend for all the work that he did in this area. Yes, I understand the difficulty of choosing a blunt number or tool. That is why I have asked the Office for Students to consider how such things could be used and what approaches we need to ensure that we do not throw the baby out with the bath water, or end up with unintended consequences.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
Question
There is no clearer sign of a Government who are out of ideas and have run out of steam than when they re-announce policies and badge them as new. The Office for Students already has these powers, and has already capped four specific providers.
Minister reply
Not all the things I have brought forward today have already been announced. The information on foundation degrees is new, and the work we are doing with the OfS is also new. We have asked the OfS to consider the impact of recruitment limits, and how those can be introduced.
Esther McVey
Con
Tatton
Question
I very much welcome this statement to limit the number of students that universities can recruit to courses that are failing. The Secretary of State has my full support. Can she tell me whether this measure will also apply to foreign students?
Minister reply
The quality of the courses on offer applies to everybody. If we change the quality for domestic students, it will then be the same quality for international students, which is important because of the size of the international student sector, which brings about £25 billion to £30 billion to our economy every year.
Daniel Zeichner
Lab
Cambridge
Question
The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Office for Students already had the powers to enforce on student outcome provisions, so this announcement is just narrow politicking. Hidden in the UCAS figures last week was the fact that home student applications are falling in this country.
Minister reply
Absolutely not, no. I am delighted that the hon. Gentleman has asked this question, because our policy is about widening participation and making sure that education is high-quality.
Question
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson), missed the opportunity to condemn the disgusting and cruel University and College Union marking boycott?
Minister reply
It is important. Young people have suffered already a lot during covid. They have invested in their degree and put all the hard work in. It is only right that they should have their degrees marked.
Sammy Wilson
DUP
East Antrim
Question
I welcome the announcement today, because for far too long, some universities cynically sold courses to students even though they knew the outcomes were poor in qualifications and employment opportunities.
Minister reply
Absolutely not. I have been working on this policy with many former Ministers, even since I was the Apprenticeships and Skills Minister. We have been working on this for a long time to make sure we get it right.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Would it not benefit university courses’ quality more if university administrators were paid a lot less and university lecturers were paid rather more?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend puts his finger on a debate that is going on in our universities right now, and I know it is part of the discussions between university lecturers and university management.
Rupa Huq
Lab
Ealing Central and Acton
Question
I have been around the block—Oxbridge, red brick, ex-poly—long enough to know that this statement reeks of academic snobbery and desperation. In cultural studies, people can legitimately analyse Mickey Mouse as a subject of academic inquiry—I have ex-students who did that who are now earning more than any of us in here.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady will be delighted about the data that we now have. If students having done those courses go on to earn more—I do not know what her judgment is on those institutions—that will be absolutely fantastic; that is all that we expect.
Question
My right hon. Friend is right to celebrate Britain’s international higher education success, but does she agree that any changes made must recognise the tremendous success of the 2,000 workers at the University of Bolton, which has shot up The Guardian’s best university guide league table now to be placed in the top 40?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, and I know that he is a big champion of the University of Bolton, which I was delighted to meet recently. It is quite interesting that a lot of former polytechnics and newer universities are working and collaborating so well with businesses.
Barbara Keeley
Lab Co-op
Worsley and Eccles South
Question
I am concerned that many university degrees leading to the creative sector will be squeezed under the Government’s plans. Industry leaders warn that limiting student numbers based on graduate earnings fails to account for working patterns in the arts, where people may not immediately earn high salaries but contribute significantly to national wellbeing and income.
Minister reply
I am a supporter of our creative industries and work with them to ensure broader apprenticeship routes. The Office for Students is considering reforms to ensure they take into account creative arts subjects and other longer-term routes.
Vicky Ford
Con
Chelmsford
Question
I congratulate the Department on its focus on excellence, particularly in medical education. Will she work with me to try to double the number of medical students and encourage a degree apprenticeship for doctors?
Minister reply
I am delighted about the new medical schools and the medical doctor apprenticeship standard being rolled out from September.
Mike Amesbury
Lab Co-op
Worcester
Question
Will the Secretary of State confirm that the Tory party is blocking aspiration and opportunity in higher education as well as affordable housing?
Minister reply
No, under the Conservatives, an 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background is 86% more likely to go to university than they were in 2010. Under Labour, the richest students were seven times more likely to go to university than the poorest 40%.
Jonathan Gullis
Lab Co-op
Brent North
Question
I welcome the Secretary of State’s plans but want higher education reform to go further. Would she support extending the closure of the student dependant route to students enrolled on one-year research master’s degrees?
Minister reply
The taught course route has recently been reviewed and changes have been made.
Tim Farron
Lib Dem
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
Do the Secretary of State agree that higher education institutions should do more to look out for and protect students, including by having a statutory duty of care?
Minister reply
I completely agree. The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education has asked all universities to sign up to the mental health charter.
Tom Hunt
Lab Co-op
Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Question
Does the Secretary of State agree that we should promote opportunities for trades like bricklaying, roofing, and carpentry in our school system?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes a very good point; many people are surprised by how much they can earn in those trades.
Mick Whitley
Con
Cannock Chase
Question
Does the Minister concede that the Government’s insistence on degrading the value of degrees and restricting access to higher education will only compound structural inequalities? Many young people in my constituency see these plans as an attempt to put them back in their place.
Minister reply
I do not accept that at all. We are upgrading options for working-class backgrounds and ensuring high-quality degrees.
Andrew Jones
Con
North East Cambridgeshire
Question
Will my right hon. Friend continue to focus on closing the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged 18-year-olds in terms of university entry rates?
Minister reply
We will continue to close that gap, making more progress than ever before.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
Will the review by the Office for Students look at the higher education funding model and address real symptoms of university funding crisis?
Minister reply
The OfS looks at contextual aspects such as demographics, socioeconomics, and mature students.
Greg Smith
Con
Mid Buckinghamshire
Question
Does the Secretary of State agree that more institutions should follow the example of the University of Buckingham, which offers two-year undergraduate degrees with staggered start points?
Minister reply
Yes. The lifelong loan entitlement will revolutionise how and when people go to university.
Helen Morgan
Lib Dem
North Shropshire
Question
Will the Secretary of State consider reviewing the data on occupational classification, particularly in agriculture?
Minister reply
Harper Adams University is a fantastic institution offering courses at the cutting edge of agriculture and technology.
Halifax
Question
What can we do to ensure parity of esteem between degree and apprenticeship routes?
Minister reply
A lot is about awareness. UCAS will now include apprenticeships, and there will be a centralised site for all apprenticeship routes.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement outlining that university courses which fail to deliver good outcomes, with high dropout rates and poor employment prospects, will be subject to strict controls. That is great news for families who struggle to pay the money for courses which end up with no benefit. What discussions has she had with the universities in Northern Ireland, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University? Will she confirm that this approach will be UK-wide, and that the postal and trade sea border will not extend to an education sea border?
Minister reply
I think the hon. Gentleman knows that this policy is devolved, but I work very closely with my ministerial counterparts in all devolved nations. We share information and best practice, and there are collaborative discussions, too. I will make sure I share this with them, as well.
Question
I whole-heartedly support what the Secretary of State said today. Does she agree that degrees should provide value for money and lead to better employment prospects and career development, as thankfully happened with my studying politics at Nottingham Trent University, not just a certificate and a debt, as developed under the previous Labour Administration who introduced fees and then did their best to devalue them?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right. Labour has flip-flopped on fees, with several different policies in that area. We are fully committed to building up our university higher education sector and we continue to do that. It is admired across the world, but it is most important that every degree is a quality degree that leads to good outcomes.
Question
The Secretary of State is right: the Labour party has not just flip-flopped on its position on tuition fees, but is now coming across as not wanting parents and young people to have the best possible information about their options. I am working with the think-tank Policy Exchange on reforming the apprenticeship levy. As it has identified, if the public sector apprenticeship target of 2.8% was met in all areas, we could create 25,000 additional apprenticeships. Will my right hon. Friend look at that and at whether we can change the procurement contract rules, because we will need these new opportunities as we go forward?
Minister reply
As my hon. Friend knows, I fully support giving more and more people access to apprenticeships. We are currently spending 99.6% of the budget, which does not leave much room for further flexibilities over and above what we have already introduced. The Labour party’s policy of halving the apprenticeship levy will result only in fewer opportunities: it is a terrible policy and they should flip that policy, because it is a flop.
Shadow Comment
Bridget Phillipson
Shadow Comment
The shadow minister criticised the government’s priority on higher education reform at a time when families are struggling, the NHS faces long waiting lists, and schools’ infrastructure is crumbling. She argued that the concept of a successful university course based solely on earnings is narrow and limiting, citing examples like Rishi Sunak to illustrate inconsistency in valuing academic degrees. Phillipson highlighted how many newer universities contribute significantly to widening participation but now face restrictions from this government's reforms. Criticising the reduction in apprenticeship starts for under-19s since 2015-16, she emphasised Labour’s commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity and ensuring that education matters beyond financial benefits.
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