Tuition fees were once seen to be a violation of the sacred principle by vice-chancellors. However this was based on the view that there would be less people entering university. Today, they would like to have a “free hand” in setting the charges. Institutions that are relying on low-income students are at a disadvantage. Those with an established history however are in favour of removing caps on tuition fees as they attract excellent students whose parents are in a position to pay.
Eventually tuition payments will be uncapped. This will allow each university to claim a niche in the marketplace, thus eliminating the traditional view of university as a place of tutorial instruction. In turn attracting more non-traditional students i.e. Part time and mature students. Rothblatt favours institutional freedom, and believes Britain is likely to steer its system towards the American way. He also notes that the role of the government within higher education will remain crucial, as in the US where research institutions rely heavily upon government funding.
Endowments provide universities with the financial power to back decisions. They are however restricted. Decision-making can be affected by reliance on private enterprise if the institution is not cautious. Articles by Will Woodward focus on what the government needs to do for universities. He notices that Greater privatisation and more campus self reliance could lead to problems such as careless accounting and inaccurate peer review. This would allow the classroom to become more of a place of personal ideological commitments.
Critique
Currently, UK universities are “owed more than double the amount they were in 1998 with students struggling to pay their tuition fees” [2]. This indicates a problem with the current system therefore with the possible introduction of top up fees in 2006 financial constraints on university students are more than likely to worsen. In the US however, the financial situation is a lot more stable, due to the fact that they are better prepared in terms of scholarships, grants and sponsorships. This questions whether or not the UK government has adopted an approach similar to that of the US.
Sheldon Rothblatt believes that the UK is “moving in directions familiar from the American experience” [3], as the entrance to university becomes easier. This is in order to get closer to Tony Blair’s pledge. The government has made decisions about “building new universities and upgrading polytechnics” [4] however they need “to place a new system of university finance” [5] otherwise “fewer people will be able to go to university” [6]. This shows that although the UK is taking steps to enhance the system, financial resources are not sufficient; this therefore contributes to the fact that the UK higher education system is following the American route.
An increased amount of UK universities are becoming research based and slowly moving away from the more traditional style of teaching. This benefits the university as they are rewarded financially for the research, and it also allow their students to have access to the information, which keeps them aware of the newest technology as it emerges. However these universities require funding for recourses, which the UK government cannot supply. This brings me to the idea of top up fees designed to assist the institutions in expanding and upgrading their research facilities and hence raising the standards.
However, based on Donald MacLeod’s article [The Guardian, Manchester (UK): Nov 2, 2004. pg. 18] a claim arises that Harvard and Stanford are financially different, but the public universities, which educate 80% of American students, are being squeezed by state governments and have to react with a mixture of cuts and fee increases. The University of California “is a more realistic comparison for Manchester and Cambridge than Yale or Princeton,” [7] mainly based on the different level of standards.
The American Higher Education system dates back to the 1850’s whereby a “pioneering effort to create an expansive and high-quality system of public
higher education,” [8] was created. When compared to the UK higher education which dates back far beyond to the ‘Victorian/Edwardian’ era whereby Polytechnic Institutes were predominantly the leading form of higher education.
When tuition fees are eventually uncapped and “each institution probes its niche in the educational marketplace” [9] higher education will become less appealing for students from a low-income background. This is due to higher tuition costs; In relation to this point the Mayer of London Ken Livingstone is opposed to any form of tuition fees. He states “education is a universal human right not only to enable the full development of individuals but also to the existence of a civilized and prosperous community” [10] therefore it should be “free at the point of demand” [11].
Finally, I conclude that the Higher education sector in the UK is tending towards the American route. This is in order to stabilize the Higher Education’s financial situation. Consequently, this will provide them with the necessary resources to upgrade and enhance their facilities to cater for the growing student population, however as Rothblatt mentions; in this situation “achievement standards are debatable” [12].
References
[1] Case study line 20-21
[2] Polly Curtis Friday March 26, 2004 http://education.guardian.co.uk/universitiesincrisis/story/0,12028,1178640,00.html
[3] Case study line 47-48
[4] Case study line 12-13
[5] Rebellion over tuition fees would hurt universities, argues Blair
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040125/323/ekap6.html
[6] Rebellion over tuition fees would hurt universities, argues Blair
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040125/323/ekap6.html
[7] The Guardian, Manchester (UK): Nov 2, 2004. pg. 18
[8] The California Idea and American Higher Education: John Aubrey Douglass
http://ishi.lib.berkeley.edu/cshe/jdouglass/book/intro.html
[9] Case study line 71-72
[10] Rebecca Smithers, education editor: September 23, 2004 The Guardian
http://education.guardian.co.uk/print/0%2C3858%2C5022429-108229%2C00.html
[11] Rebecca Smithers, education editor: September 23, 2004 The Guardian
http://education.guardian.co.uk/print/0%2C3858%2C5022429-108229%2C00.htm
[12] Case study line 78
