David Cameron holds higher education summit

PM is meeting university leaders in Whitehall to discuss the coalition’s blueprint for higher education The prime minister will meet university leaders in Whitehall to discuss the coalition’s long-awaited blueprint for higher education. The private meeting on Friday will be hosted by the universities minister, David Willetts, but David Cameron will attend some of it. The agenda for the meeting is thought to be the government’s white paper, which will outline reforms to higher education, and a discussion on how universities can contribute to the growth of the economy. Research Fortnight magazine claims universities have been unable to agree on any clear objectives for the meeting. There is feverish speculation in universities over when the white paper will be published. It has been delayed since January. Vince Cable, the business secretary, told MPs earlier this week that he believed it would be published next month. It is expected to pave the way for many more private colleges to offer degree places. The government believes this will spark more competition in the sector and therefore force universities to improve or be taken over. The government is also seeking to expand student numbers without extra cost to the taxpayer – and has considered a controversial proposal to let students pay for extra “off-quota” places that would not be funded by the state. Last year, MPs voted to raise tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 by the autumn of 2012. But earlier this week, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said ministers had underestimated how many universities would charge the maximum and now faced an annual bill that was “several hundred million pounds” higher than anticipated. The average fee of those universities that have made their plans for 2012 public is £8,765. The government modelled its plans on an average fee of £7,500. Gareth Thomas, Labour’s shadow universities minister, said Cameron needed to “fundamentally rethink his decision to treble tuition fees and cut university funds by so much”. “The quality of higher education is at stake too from major cuts in investment funding for new research and teaching facilities and from an expansion of US-style unregulated private for-profit providers.” The prime minister regularly meets vice-chancellors and did so before the vote on tuition fees in December last year. Education policy Liberal-Conservative coalition David Cameron Higher education Conservatives David Willetts guardian.co.uk

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