ATL

ATL comment on Lord Mandelson's speech on the future of higher education

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

"It is all too easy for Lord Mandelson, who went to Oxford when there were no tuition fees and universal grants, to "insist" on the link between higher education and jobs.

"It is clear that when he talks of 'diversity of income' this is just a euphemism for fundraising. In practice this would mean that some of the finest academics in the world would be devoted to raising money to fund their courses rather than teaching and researching. We would risk losing our finest academics to universities overseas, where they can avoid having to justify their work in terms of economic growth. Why would any world class researcher come and work in a British university under these conditions?

"Lord Mandelson also stated that disappointed university students can apply to our finest further education colleges, but they are suffering even greater funding cuts than universities, which makes them a less viable option."

Notes to editors:

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.
2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first-rate research, advice, information and legal advice.
3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). The union is a member of the social partnership - working with the UK government, employers and other unions on education issues. ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.