Lord Browne's review of Universities in the UK has been published, and includes the controversial recommendation that the £3290 cap on fees should be scrapped. This would allow universities to charge what they like, with the possiblity of fees of up to £12000 a year. Graduates would now not have to start paying this back until their annual salary reached £21000, up from the current level of £15000. Other proposals include the creation of a Higher Education Council to oversee standards, and that lecturers would be required to have teaching qualifications. The proposals will not necessarily be accepted in full by the government, and go clearly against the pledges made by the Liberal Democrats before the election. It will be interesting to see what happens next - what are your views?
PS: Here is a summary of the details
UPDATE: Vince Cable has suggested that the government may cap fees at £7000 but has endorsed "the main thrust" of the report. This is likely to cause disquiet amongst his Lib Dem colleagues, and can be considered a "rehearsal" for the strains that will follow the announcement of the spending review on 20 October. One final point - Cable says that the reforms will be in place in time for Autumn 2012 - ie the current Year 12 will have to deal with this...any thoughts?
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