Mixed reaction to White Paper from Teesside's Vice-Chancellor

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Teesside, Professor Derek Fraser, today (22 January, 2003) issued a statement after the Government launched its 'Future of higher education' White Paper.

He said: “If these changes have to happen, then at least the fees are no longer an up front payment.

"The return of a maintenance grant is welcome, but the maximum grant of £1,000 is less than we hoped for. I do fear that these proposals will act as a disincentive to participation. The University of Teesside wants to encourage even wider groups of people to take part in higher education and I find it difficult to understand how a government which says it wants to broaden and deepen access across the higher education sector is choosing to increase student debt. I don’t think today is a good day for the higher education sector as a whole.

"Although we are still studying the details of what this will mean for Teesside, the increase in the premium to reward those universities that recruit large numbers of from non-traditional backgrounds is positive as we have not been properly funded for recruiting these students in the past.

"It is important to recognise that large numbers of students at Teesside don't have to pay the full tuition fee at the moment and we welcome the fact that over 60% of students will continue to be exempt from all or part of the fee.

"We also welcome the commitment to expand the knowledge transfer work of universities, the extension of support to part-time students, and the further expansion of foundation degrees with our partners in the further education sector and industry."

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