September 2017

UK: Labour to force vote on plan to increase University tuition fees

Jeremy Corbyn’s party manages to secure vote on proposal to increase cap on annual fees to £9,250 Full article here – https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/12/labour-to-force-vote-on-plan-to-increase-tuition-fees Labour is to force a parliamentary vote to scrap the government’s latest rise in university tuition fees on Wednesday in what it believes is a binding motion. Under the government’s plan, the annual tuition […]

Tuition fees could be ‘slashed to £7,500’ a year under Government Plans

Details to be announced in Autumn Budget – Full article here – http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-reduce-tuition-fees-7500-autumn-budget-philip-hammond-a7951081.html Extracts here:Cuts to tuition fees that would save students at least £5,000 over a three-year course are being considered by the Chancellor, it has been reported.Philip Hammond is looking at capping annual charges at £7,500 instead of the current level of £9,250, according […]

Thinktank warns Tories not to cut interest rates on student loans

Bright Blue says measure being considered in Downing St to woo younger voters would only benefit better off graduates The full article can be found here – https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/10/cutting-student-loans-interest-rate-would-only-benefit-better-off-says-tory-thinktank Extracts – A prominent Conservative thinktank is warning Philip Hammond against giving high-paid graduates a handout by cutting the interest rates on student loans in a bid to win […]

Maintenance debt weighs heavy on the minds of poorer students

Why should working-class students end up with more debt than others? https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/07/maintenance-debt-weighs-constantly-on-my-mind-as-a-poorer-student This recent article in the Guardian suggests: “……Until recently, students from homes with an annual income of less than £25,000 were given maintenance grants of £3,387 to help fund their living costs while at university. Students from households above this threshold were also […]

AoC responds to ‘Teach First’ report

https://www.aoc.co.uk/news/aoc-responds-teach-first-report Teach First report – ‘Impossible? Beyond access: getting to university and succeeding there’. David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Today’s report from Teach First highlights the enormous inequalities in access to higher education for young people which have not been addressed despite strenuous efforts and investment over many years. The […]

AELP Brief for Lords’ Debate

AELP Brief for Lords’ Debate on 7 September 2017: Digital skills in the United Kingdom Publicly-funded basic digital skills training for adults needs more support The full report can be downloaded here – https://www.aelp.org.uk/media/1433/aelp-brief-lords-digital-skills-debate.pdf Extract from the report: ‘We believe it is important for tutors, staff and assessors to have the appropriate digital skills to ensure […]

Call for clarity over Student Loans Company problems

By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter – http://www.bbc.com/news/education-41201769 Extracts from the above article: Shadow Universities Minister Gordon Marsden wrote, “this worrying situation has been compounded by an ongoing stream of accounts over the past few months in the media, and based on numerous individual stories appearing, of the inadequacies of the Student Loans Company to […]

Theresa May ‘looking to ease student debt burden’

Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to find ways to appeal to younger voters who backed Labour over her during the general election. The full article can found here:https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/09/theresa-may-looking-at-easing-student-debt-burden With her party’s annual conference just weeks away, May is looking at proposals to change the formula through which many graduates pay interest rates of more […]

Scientists develop algorithm to match pupils with tutors using AI

The full article here – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/09/08/tutor-future-scientists-develop-algorithm-match-pupils-tutors/ University College London’s (UCL) Institute of Education has partnered with the online tutoring platform MyTutor to harness technology to create the “tutor of the future”. James Grant, the founder of MyTutor, said that building a “strong rapport” between a tutor and student is crucial for academic success. He said he […]