Do you want to know why Britain's university system is imploding? Well, if you do... Make yourself a nice coffee, pull up a chair and take a look at what I wrote back in the summer for Prospect magazine. Please repost if you agree! www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/pol... - ThreadSky

gsoh31.bsky.social • 92 days ago

Do you want to know why Britain's university system is imploding? Well, if you do... Make yourself a nice coffee, pull up a chair and take a look at what I wrote back in the summer for Prospect magazine. Please repost if you agree! https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/policy/education/66533/british-universities-collapse-debt-crisis

Comments

rupertstubbs.bsky.social•92 days ago

The moment the cap on student numbers was lifted in 2013 it started an arms race to expand for ambitious universities, with many of them (like Bristol) effectively becoming property companies (student housing and entertainment facilities) with a bit of teaching and research attached.

jimhigham.bsky.social•92 days ago

I don’t think that’s a fair comment. Universities are non profit organisations. Some property companies have profited from university PFIs but not directly the university itself.

rupertstubbs.bsky.social•92 days ago

I may be overreaching. But it was clear that accumulating students was key to survival for unis, and expanding student accommodation and non-teaching facilities (to make them more attractive in league tables) was a key objective - whether they profited directly or not.

jimhigham.bsky.social•92 days ago

Sure, but their aim to provide high quality education remained. Ways and means to the same objective. VCs have profited however 😉

jimhigham.bsky.social•92 days ago

Old article & fees have indeed increased a tiny bit. Tories decimated university funding. “The country actually needs far more undergraduate places if it is to merely keep up with the birth boom of two decades ago: the numbers of 18-yr-olds are rising and will rise further until the early 2030s.“

nifjnick.bsky.social•92 days ago

I work in a university - I share an office with someone who was told that running an £11m deficit wasn’t bad, so I’m interested to see if they get a mention…