IANS | 19 Feb, 2018
University tuition fees should partly be based on how a degree course
could benefit a student's future career, British Education Secretary
Damian Hinds said.
In an interview with the Times published on
Sunday, the newly-appointed secretary said he wanted to see a system
which would consider a course's value for money to decide the level at
which fees are set.
He hoped to see tuition fees slashed for arts
and social science courses that do little to boost students' careers,
Xinhua news agency reported.
"We have a system where you have got
almost all institutions and almost all courses at those institutions
charging exactly the same price.
"Some have higher returns to the
student than others. It's right that we now ask questions about how
that system operates. I would like to see options available which have
different costs," he said.
He revealed that in the future the fee
should be determined by "a combination of three things: the cost (to
the university) to put it on, the benefit to the student and the benefit
to our country and our economy".
Under the plan, British
universities will also be told to offer more two-year degrees and more
"commuter courses" which may allow students to study at home so as to
cut costs.
The education secretary's comments come ahead of the
government's long-awaited review of university funding which is expected
to be announced in the coming days.
