All the risks of the regime fall presently to students and taxpayers. Not only is this unfair and morally questionable, but it leads directly to undesirable outcomes.
Vocational and technical education are key to changing lives, and hold the potential to change people’s votes, too. They should dominate the Government’s attention.
Of course, mistakes are made, and governments get things wrong – but there is also a duty to make sure that the good gets out into the public sphere too.
In the first of two pieces on Higher Education, the former Universities Minister argues that the conventional account of how fees and funding works is mistaken.
The Chancellor has not suddenly changed who he is; he has carefully analysed the issues we face and plotted out a course of action to build a Britain fit for the future.
Another option would be for Ofsted to rate the school in question from “Outstanding” to “Inadequate” for its engagement and the breadth of its careers advice.
The Social Market Foundation isn’t tied to any party. We’re centrists – our advice and ideas on offer to anyone who wants to put common sense ahead of ideology.