The UK government’s continued reliance on tuition fees as the main funding mechanism for higher education is failing staff and students alike, driving students into increasing levels of debt while leaving university workers facing falling pay and job insecurity, says UNISON.
The union’s higher education service group executive (HESGE) is calling for a radical overhaul of university funding that recognises “the vital social, cultural, and economic value of higher education”.
The government’s post-16 education and skills white paper sets out ambitions to upskill people and support success in the labour market. These goals are achievable, but only with the right funding model.
While the White Paper stresses “value for students” and “alignment with economic need” UNISON believes quality must be broadly defined. All disciplines – including the arts, humanities, and social sciences – deliver significant benefits to society and should not be sidelined in favour of a narrow or elitist view of value.
Rising tuition fees, even when linked to inflation, will not resolve the funding crisis. Instead, they risk deterring prospective students, particularly those from less affluent backgrounds.
At the same time, staff pay continues to lag far behind inflation, with higher education workers receiving some of the lowest public-sector pay offers. UNISON members have overwhelmingly rejected these offers, with thousands voting for industrial action in response to years of underfunding and falling living standards.
Higher education across the UK is now in crisis. The combined impact of tuition fees, Brexit, falling international student numbers, inflation, and a hostile immigration environment has led to redundancies and, in some cases, the threat of insolvency.
Universities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland face similar pressures, despite differing funding systems, with chronic underfunding affecting staff and services across all nations.
Reviews of higher education funding are already underway in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with Wales likely to follow. UNISON will play a full role in these discussions.
UNISON believes continued reliance on tuition fees will only deepen student debt and further erode staff pay and job security.
According to the HESGE: “What is needed is a sustainable, long-term funding model based on free education, one that values higher education not just for economic output, but for its role in social cohesion, cultural enrichment, and national prosperity.”
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