Education

Review of higher education published

Published

8 years ago

September 30, 2016

Kirsty Williams: Endorses underlying principles

IT IS THE BIGGEST shake up to financing higher education in Wales since the First Assembly term and yet, despite two years of research and the likely conclusions being flagged well in advance, the Welsh Government – which delayed changes to Welsh student finance until after May’s election – now claims that the changes recommended by the Diamond Review of higher education funding and finance might not be put in place until 2018, at the earliest.

In the meantime, the fees that universities can charge to students have been frozen, creating an effective cut in higher education funding at the same time as the whole funding system for students is overhauled.

THE REVIEW

The radical overhaul of the system in Wales has been put forward after an independent review led by Professor Sir Ian Diamond and a panel of experts.

It suggests a fundamental shift to a system that provides financial support for the daily living costs of students – both full and part time – through a mix of grants and loans. It would mean students receiving the equivalent of the National Living Wage during term time while they study.

The average Welsh student could receive £7,000 a year in grant support while they study, with a pro-rata version available to part-time students.

The maximum level of support available would be £9,113 a year for those studying full time.

Professor Diamond’s proposals aim to ensure all those who want to go to university are able to do so, while making the system more sustainable in the long term.

The panel recommends new, innovative ways of funding part-time students and a support package for post-graduate studies that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds. They also propose new ideas for supporting research and knowledge transfer; and a Welsh programme for research students.

But the delay in implementing the review’s recommendations means that potential Welsh postgraduate students wishing to pursue a course at Welsh universities will remain at a massive disadvantage to English students wishing to do the same. English students have been able to access funding for postgraduate study at Welsh universities since the start of the current academic year. Welsh postgraduate students are left high and dry with what looks like a significant watering down of the funding that English students can access.

The Review’s recommendations include:

A new improved maintenance grant support system for undergraduate, post-graduate and part time students The highest level of grant support will go to those most in need
A £1,000 annual non-means-tested universal maintenance grant to be made available to all students alongside the additional means-tested grant to cover living costs. Part-time students to receive a modified version of this support on a pro-rata basis
The top rate of maintenance grant and/or loan support, for a student living away from home outside London, should be equivalent to the National Living Wage – based on 37.5 hours per week over a 30 week period, currently £8,100. A maximum total grant of 25% more (£10,125) to be available for a student living away from home in London and 15% less (£6,885) for students living at home
Maintenance support to be paid to students on a monthly basis to enable more efficient financial planning and budgeting

‘FUNDING SHOULD BE A PARTNERSHIP’

The Welsh Government claims that the recommended improvements to the overall student support package can only be achieved by releasing funds currently used to provide tuition fee grants to full-time undergraduates.

The tuition fee grant for full-time undergraduate students should be replaced with a student loan, up to a maximum fee level agreed with the Welsh Government. Repayments would only begin once graduates earn a salary above £21,000.

Professor Diamond said: “The funding of higher education should be a partnership between wider society and the individual. In contrast to England, where maintenance support for students will be based on loans, we propose a significant universal element of maintenance support for full-time students, meaning students from Wales will face a significantly lower average level of debt on leaving university than those from England.

“My proposals will support widening access and retention of students from all backgrounds, including those from poorer backgrounds, squeezed middle-income families and those either estranged from their parents or whose parents choose not to contribute to their higher education.”

WILLIAMS HAILS ‘PROGRESSIVE PLAN’

Education Secretary Kirsty Williams said: “This report presents a progressive and sustainable plan for Higher Education in Wales.

“My Cabinet colleagues and I endorse the underlying principles in the report and we will now look into the detail of how we can implement these recommendations.

“We want to make sure that those who wish to go on to university are able to. The fear of not being able to meet the cost of living on a daily basis puts many off, not the prospect of paying back loans after they are in work. This system addresses that issue head on, but will also mean making tough decisions to make sure the system is sustainable in the long-term.

“The generous package of support proposed by the panel would mean Welsh students would benefit from the only UK system that is consistent, progressive and fair across all levels and modes of study.

“I am deeply committed to making sure access to higher education should be determined by academic ability and not social background.”

REVIEW WELCOMED

Universities Wales welcomed the Review’s publication.

“Offering means-tested maintenance grants for Welsh students will give many more talented people the opportunity to transform their life-chances through going to university. There is a body of evidence that shows students need financial support whilst studying and so we are pleased to see the recommendation to provide this support.

“We hope that, as a result of the cross party support for the Review , we can build a consensus regarding the value of universities and their students to Wales and we look forward to working with Welsh Government to deliver their aim of early implementation of the recommendations.”

LIBDEMS ‘LISTENED TO’

Cadan ap Tomos, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Young People, said: “As someone who studied under the current system, it wasn’t help with tuition fees I needed – they didn’t need paying until after I’d graduated and was earning a decent salary. It was with living costs that I needed the most support – despite receiving more than most having come from a poorer family, I still had to work alongside my studies just to make ends meet.

“I’m proud that Welsh Lib Dems listened to students like me when coming up with our plan for student finance – and I’m proud that it’s Welsh Lib Dem Kirsty Williams who’ll be fighting within Government to secure these much-needed reforms for all students – rich or poor, full or parttime, undergrad or postgrad.

“It’s clear to everyone that the unsustainable system created by Labour and Plaid just can’t continue. The fact that both a cross-party panel and students across Wales are recommending our solution be put into action shows that it’s the Welsh Lib Dems who are fighting students’ corner.”

Mark Williams MP, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, added: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats have consistently made the case that the high cost of living is the number one barrier to people accessing university. I am pleased that the Diamond Review has today supported that view.

“I am in no doubt that these proposals put forward would offer Welsh students the most generous offer of support compared to anywhere in the UK. I welcome the fact that Kirsty Williams has today endorsed the principles of the review.”

REVIEW ADDRESSES NUS CONCERNS

The recommendations of the Diamond Review address many of the concerns that NUS Wales has held for Welsh students and marks a move towards a funding system that addresses the particular need to widen access for Wales’ poorest students.

Fflur Elin, NUS Wales President, said: “We have long been concerned that many students struggle to meet the basic cost of living. It is a particular strain for those from backgrounds where there is little or no financial support from families.

“Of course, NUS Wales does not want to see students leaving university saddled with enormous student loans. However, the reality for Welsh students is that they have to take out overdrafts, credit cards and a small but significant amount of students pay day loans in order to pay for food, rent and bills. The immediacy of the repayment on these types of finance lead to stress and in some cases students giving up their courses.

“Wales is unlike the rest of the UK in many respects; it has some of the poorest communities in Northern Europe. For some, university isn’t an aspiration as meeting the cost of living without working full time seems impossible. We are sure that doing more to support people to get into university by helping with their immediate costs is a positive step forward.

“NUS Wales in addition would like to see better financial education. Research has told us that students, particularly

those from a low participation background, do not know what they are entitled to. With recommendations for a more generous maintenance package, more should be done to inform those who would otherwise see education as unaffordable.”

LOCAL AMS RESPOND

Eluned Morgan and Joyce Watson have welcomed the Welsh Government’s plans for what they have described as ‘the most generous package of student support anywhere in the UK’.

Eluned Morgan AM said: “I am immensely proud that the package of support available to students in Carmarthenshire and Wales is the best available anywhere in the UK.

“This is yet another example of this Welsh Labour Government delivering on its promises. Supporting young people to further their education and helping those from the most disadvantaged communities in Wales benefit from a university degree.”

Joyce Watson AM explained, “Under the plans, support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be prioritised – the highest level of grant will be available to those most in need. Those with experience of care will automatically receive the maximum level of maintenance grant support.

“People studying part time will receive a similar level of financial support as full time students and post-graduate students will also be eligible for ongoing support under the new scheme. Students from Carmarthenshire will benefit from the only UK system that is consistent, progressive and fair across all levels and modes of study.”

OPPOSITION GIVE QUALIFIED WELCOME

Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Education, Darren Millar AM, said: “I welcome the publication of the Diamond Review. We support the recommendations to move away from tuition fee support and towards a system of means-tested maintenance grants for students; this is something we advocated prior to the Assembly elections earlier this year.

“The Welsh Conservatives have always believed that support should be targeted at those who need it most to ensure that everyone can aspire to a university education, no matter what their background.

“It is essential that grants continue to be available to those who are already being supported under the current arrangements and that the transition to any new arrangements is fair and properly managed.”

Plaid Cymru’s Llyr Gruffydd said: “The Diamond Review has been much anticipated by universities, students and political parties. The Labour government’s current system is unsustainable and needs to be replaced. It was disingenuous of Labour to enter into the previous election on the promise that the policy would continue when it was clear that this could not happen.

“Plaid Cymru would expect that any new higher education funding system includes some way of retaining skills and attracting people back to Wales to work after they have graduated. This is a crucial aspect that is currently missing and , without it , the whole system of student support risks failing to serve the needs of the Welsh economy.

“And I would also expect that any savings made in the new system would be redirected back into our HE institutions, so that we can close the funding gap between Welsh universities and their English counterparts.”

APPROVAL FOR ‘BALANCED PACKAGE’

Dr David Blaney, Chief Executive of The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, said: “We welcome the Review. It clearly reflects a thorough, robust and evidence-based review process conducted by Professor Sir Ian Diamond and his all-party group. Sir Ian’s recommendations offer a balanced package which would see the distribution of available resources more evenly across the range of policy priorities, but with continuation of the principle that student support should be portable. They also respond to the concern which has been raised clearly and consistently by the National Union of Students in Wales that meeting the cost of living is a major challenge for students with the current arrangements.

“It is now for the Welsh Government to respond to the recommendations of the review. HEFCW is on hand to provide expert analysis of the options that need to be considered and to support the implementation process.”

Education

Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men cancelled in Wales over racial concerns

Published

17 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Tom Sinclair

WJEC, the Cardiff-based Welsh exam board, has announced that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men will no longer be included in the GCSE English syllabus in Wales. The decision comes amid concerns over the book’s repeated use of racial slurs and its potential emotional impact on students.

First published in 1937, the novella explores the friendship between Lennie and George as they navigate life during the Great Depression. Despite its literary significance, the text will be phased out from classrooms starting in September.

Rocio Cifuentes, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, supported the decision, describing the text as “psychologically and emotionally harmful” to Black students.

She explained: “During our research into racism in schools, many Black children specifically mentioned this text and the harm it caused them.”

In Of Mice and Men, the character Crooks, a Black stable hand, is subjected to racial slurs and repeated use of the N-word.

‘Not Censorship’

Ms Cifuentes emphasised that the decision was not about censorship but safeguarding students’ wellbeing.

“This is about protecting children who have told us how harmful classroom discussions around this text have been for them,” she said.

“They’ve often been the only Black child in the room when these discussions occur, surrounded by derogatory depictions of people who look like them.”

WJEC said the decision was part of a broader overhaul that merges English Language and Literature into one GCSE. The board also employed an anti-racism consultant to advise on the selection of appropriate texts.

A WJEC spokesperson said: “We’ve provided a choice of works from writers of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, genders, and communities. This new selection aims to enrich the educational experience with themes that resonate with modern learners.”

Tory Criticism

Natasha Asghar MS, the Shadow Education Secretary, has spoken out against the decision, arguing that banning the book is counterproductive and limits educational opportunities.

“Instead of banning Of Mice and Men, we should teach it within its historical context, showing students how overt racism and sexism were commonplace and accepted in the past, and why this was harmful and wrong.

“Censorship doesn’t solve the problem; it prevents young people from confronting and understanding these prejudices, some of which, sadly, continue.

“Even in 2024, we continue to see racism and sexism in society. If we want to tackle this, then instead of banning a classic text, we would do better to challenge media companies that produce music containing misogynistic language and words with racist connotations.”

Teachers React

Rhian Evans, an English teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthen, acknowledged the book’s value but understood the reasoning behind its removal.

She said: “We always addressed the use of the N-word carefully in class, discussing why it shouldn’t be repeated. But as a white woman, I can never fully understand how it feels for a child of colour to encounter that word in an educational setting.”

She added: “There are other authors from diverse backgrounds who explore similar themes in ways more relevant to today’s students.”

Previously, Of Mice and Men and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird were removed from the OCR English Literature syllabus in 2014, after then-Education Secretary Michael Gove pushed for the inclusion of more British authors.

The updated WJEC syllabus includes classics such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Contemporary additions include Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library and Christy Lefteri’s The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

The changes aim to ensure a more inclusive and representative literary curriculum for Welsh students.

Education

Respite care facilities at Pembrokeshire school approved

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a respite care facility at Haverfordwest’s Portfield special school have been approved.

An application to Pembrokeshire County Council by Morgan Sindall Group, on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council, sought permission for a three-bed respite unit for pupils aged between 16 and 19 years old.

Portfield School is an additional learning school for pupils aged three-19, and forms part of a broader network including Y Porth based at Ysgol y Preseli and Haverfordwest High VC School.

Portfield School is currently located in two buildings, one for primary school students, along with a secondary school building for key stages 3 to 4, and pupils aged 16-plus.

The proposed location of the respite care is where the existing lower school currently lies.

Demolition of the lower school was granted as part of a recently approved planning application for the wider site redevelopment, including a masterplan for the campus, the redevelopment of the new primary school building, refurbishment works to existing sixth form block and associated works.

A supporting statement by agent Asbri Planning said: “The proposed location of the respite care was marked out on the approved Site Masterplan as ‘proposed area for future development’. As Pembrokeshire County Council were unsure whether the funding would be available for the respite care, they decided not to include it within the scope of works for the main school application approved earlier this year. The funds have now become available which has allowed the application for a new respite care facility to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority.”

It added: “The respite care aims to conjure up a positive arrival experience for users by introducing an entrance courtyard, whilst enhancing links to nature where key vistas towards nature are considered. The users of the building will have full access to the communal areas and facilities.

“There will be no access for the general public, only the users of the building at that time. The unit will operate 24 hours a day all year round. Full-time care is to be provided and there will be staff available at all times for pupils.”

The application was conditionally approved by county planners.

Education

Stonehenge may have been built to unify the people of ancient Britain

Published

4 days ago

December 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE RECENT discovery that one of Stonehenge’s stones originated in Scotland supports a theory that the stone circle was built as a monument to unite Britain’s early farmers nearly 5,000 years ago, according to a new study by researchers at UCL and Aberystwyth University.

In a research article published in the journal Archaeology International, academics analyse the significance of the recent discovery of the Scottish origin of the six-tonne Altar Stone, which confirmed that all of the stones that make up Stonehenge were brought to Salisbury Plain from many miles away.

In their new paper, the researchers say that Stonehenge’s long-distance links add weight to the theory that the Neolithic monument may have had some unifying purpose in ancient Britain.

Lead author Professor Mike Parker Pearson from the UCL Institute of Archaeology said: “The fact that all of its stones originated from distant regions, making it unique among over 900 stone circles in Britain, suggests that the stone circle may have had a political as well as a religious purpose – as a monument of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos.”

Co-author Professor Richard Bevins of Aberystwyth University, said: “It’s really gratifying that our geological investigations can contribute to the archaeological research and the unfolding story as our knowledge has been improving so dramatically in just the last few years.

“Our research is like forensic science. We are a small team of earth scientists, each bringing their own area of expertise; it is this combination of skills that has allowed us to identify the sources of the bluestones, and now the Altar Stone.”

The study has been published (on 20 December) the day before the winter solstice, when the setting sun dips below the horizon over the middle of the Altar Stone and between the two largest upright stones (one of which is now fallen). During this winter period, Neolithic people feasted close to Stonehenge at the great village of Durrington Walls, and the midwinter solstice was probably central to these events.

Stonehenge is famous for these solar alignments on the solstice and even today attracts large crowds to the site on the shortest and longest days of the year. In addition, it was also the largest burial ground of its age. Some archaeologists think it might have been a religious temple, an ancient observatory and a solar calendar, and this new research adds a political dimension.

Professor Parker Pearson, a Professor of British Later Prehistory, added: “We’ve known for a while that people came from many different parts of Britain with their pigs and cattle to feast at Durrington Walls, and nearly half the people buried at Stonehenge had lived somewhere other than Salisbury Plain.

“The similarities in architecture and material culture between the Stonehenge area and northern Scotland now make more sense. It’s helped to solve the puzzle of why these distant places had more in common than we might have once thought.”

Stonehenge’s 43 ‘bluestones’ were brought from the Preseli Hills in west Wales some 140 miles away, while the larger ‘Sarsen’ stones were hauled from their sources at least 15 miles away to the north and east of the stone circle.

Transporting these massive monoliths was an extraordinary feat. Although the wheel had been invented, it had not yet reached Britain so moving these massive stones must have required the efforts of hundreds if not thousands of people.

The researchers point to how Stonehenge’s horizontal Altar Stone is similar in size and placement to the large, horizontal stones of the stone circles of northeast Scotland, where the Altar Stone originated.

These ‘recumbent stone circles’ are found only in that part of Scotland and not in the rest of Britain, so there may have been close ties between the two regions. Megalithic stones had ancestral significance, binding people to place and origins. The Altar Stone may have been brought as a gift from the people of northern Scotland to represent some form of alliance or collaboration.

It is difficult to pin down a precise date when the Scottish Altar Stone was brought to Stonehenge, but it probably arrived around 2500 BCE around the time that Stonehenge was remodelled from its original form.

This is the timeframe when the Neolithic builders erected the large sarsen stones forming an outer circle and the inner horseshoe of trilithons – paired upright stones connected by horizontal ‘lintels’ – that is present today. The Altar Stone lies at the foot of the largest trilithon, which frames the midwinter solstice sunset to the southwest. This was the second stage of construction at Stonehenge, long after the first stage (around 3000 BCE) when it is thought the bluestones from Wales were erected.

This second iteration of Stonehenge was built at a time of increasing contact between the people of Britain and arrivals from Europe, mainly from what are today the Netherlands and Germany. The researchers suggest that this period of contact may have been what spurred this second-stage rebuilding, and the monument was a reaction to these newcomers meant to unite indigenous Britons.

The new arrivals brought with them knowledge of metalworking and the wheel and, over the next four hundred years, their descendants – known as the Beaker people on account of the distinctive pots they buried with their dead – gradually replaced the population of indigenous Britons, and people with this European ancestry became the dominant population across the island.

The geological research was supported by the Leverhulme Trust.

Ends

Picture: The Altar Stone, seen here underneath two bigger Sarsen stones. Credit: Professor Nick Pearce, Aberystwyth University.