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UK Budget Cut will have Little Effect on Quality

United Kingdom universities will 'configure themselves' to accommodate budget cuts by the country's government without compromising on quality and its position as a popular destination of study, according to the country’s education representatives in the UAE.

The annual Education UK Exhibition (EDUKEX) was opened by Guy Warrington, Consul-General from the British Embassy in Dubai on Sunday with more than 50 universities pitching their course offerings to future students.

While university academics in the UK have raised concerns in the past week about cuts in the higher education budget by £600 million over the next three years, Alison Devine, Regional Manager Education UK, Middle East, at the British Council said the matter needs to be put “into perspective.”

“We are talking about small budget cuts — at about 1 per cent and 0.7 per cent last year,” she told Khaleej Times at the sidelines of the event.

“And there has been tremendous growth in higher education since 1997.

“Of course, in the UK, academics will be up in arms because nobody wants budget cuts and they have to protest loudly to make sure there are no further cuts.”

Spokespersons of the Russell Group that owns 20 leading UK universities stated ‘our gold standard system could be replaced with one of silver or worse...’ with ‘a devastating effect not only on students and staff, but also on Britain’s international competitiveness, economy and ability to recover from recession,’ in the media.

In 2009, more than 2,400 students from the UAE opted for higher education in the UK — up by nine per cent on 2008.

Recruitment officers at the fair said the 
budget cuts will not mean less quality but 
simply an adaptation.

Perihan Cousins, International Recruitment Manager at The University of Hull said they need to meet criteria laid down by the Quality Assurance Agency that ensured high standards.

“I think universities will make cuts in areas that are expensive like laboratories that have equipment that cost several thousand pounds....”

Devine said budget cuts would not necessarily mean an increase in the tuition fee or dilution of quality. “There are many way of managing budget cuts,” she said.

“Universities may decide to merge and you might find some departments close. Also, quality is unaffected because it would only means doing less of something.”

The Hull York Medical School is run as a partnership between University of Hull and York, something Cousins said medical schools are encouraged to do, to share costs.

While large universities may still be able to wade through the turbulent waters unharmed, smaller universities face greater challenges with the budget cuts.

The School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London will not see any changes in the short term but over time will put pressure on certain courses offered said Nick Butler, Head of Student Recruitment.

“We offer lots of subjects and languages like Burmese, Vietnamese and Nepalese that are opted by few students,” he said.

“There will be a lot of pressure on maybe closing down some of these departments.”

However he said the university will try to avoid the situation by sorting internal administration and improving efficiency. “There is no where else you can learn some of these languages in the UK.” he said.

“If we have to drop them it will be a serious blow to UK education.”

Representatives also maintained that entry criteria like high academic scores were non-negotiable and that only the most capable students would be selected to represent their universities.

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