Universities: Part-time Students

Baroness Blackstone Excerpts

Wednesday 14th May 2014 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Blackstone]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote an increase in the number of students studying part-time at United Kingdom universities.

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, this Government introduced non-means-tested tuition loans for part-time students undertaking their first undergraduate degree. Last year we commissioned Universities UK to undertake a review of part-time undergraduate higher education and to make recommendations. The sector is currently working on these recommendations. We are also relaxing the ELQ policy in selected STEM subjects, which will provide the opportunity for students to access loans so that they can retrain from 2015-16.

[Baroness Blackstone (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister accept that part-time higher education is vital for mature students if they are to acquire skills and become socially mobile? In these circumstances, does he agree that a 40% decline in the number of part-time enrolments is wholly unacceptable? This follows the trebling of tuition fees. Can he also reassure the House that the Government will do far more than he has just set out to reverse this shocking statistic?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I agree with the noble Baroness’s first point, about the importance of part-time education particularly for mature students. Indeed, 89,730 of the over 150,000 students who study part time are aged 30 years and over. As a matter of history, I think that the noble Baroness herself was part and parcel of the Government who introduced tuition fees. Although we have raised them, it has been done to ensure the long-term future of higher education in our country. That point is acknowledged not just by these Benches and the coalition Government but by the OECD and the World Bank.