A Conservative former education secretary has criticised Rishi Sunak’s plans to limit access to university degrees in England, accusing him of “anti-levelling up in action” if he presses ahead with the policy.
Justine Greening, who ran the Department for Education from 2016 to 2018, said the proposal would disproportionately affect more disadvantaged people from the poorest communities.
“No 10 plans are bad for disadvantaged young people and bad for universities working hard to give access to higher education in less privileged areas. This will be anti-levelling up in action,” she tweeted.
Sunak announced proposals on Monday, as first revealed by the Guardian, to curb the numbers enrolling on so-called “low-value” courses on the basis of data about each course’s graduate employment and dropout rates.
The plans will require the Office for Students, the higher education regulator for England, to “ensure that courses which fail to deliver good earnings are subject to stricter controls”.
The prime minister also announced significant funding cuts to many foundation-year university courses, which are popular among mature students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds who lack academic qualifications.
Greening, who stepped down as an MP in 2019 and campaigns on social mobility, said the proposals ignored why students were dropping out of courses, and she suggested it would be better to support them to tackle issues instead, whether financial or advice on picking the right course.
