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Now if you were a casual listener to BBCR4AQ tonight you'd have heard @stellacreasy challenge the universities minister in student hardship, digital divide etc.
At this point @michelledonelan said that she'd worked with @officestudents on "funding flexibility" to the tune of £256m for next year.
That's not that impressive even if it was new money. But let's work out what that money is, shall we?
Every year the gov gives OfS money to give to unis in so called premium funding. Premiums are intended to support the costs of activities that contribute to providers’ ambitions around student success and progression.
Last year OfS allocated £277m. Next year the figure has actually been CUT to that £256m figure. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/funding-for-2020-21-ofs-board-decisions/
But more importantly - this is a scam. Since April MD has been saying "I've worked with OfS on this" and last academic year all that meant was that providers could change at the last minute plans and divert say money to be spent on extra study support into hardship funds
It was license to vary APPs a bit. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. I explained this twaddle here https://wonkhe.com/blogs/the-government-will-do-whatever-it-takes-to-support-people-affected-by-covid-19/
Now it sounds like she's trying to repeat the trick. Put simply, she's saying "I've worked with OfS to allow universities to spend money on things they were allowed to spend it on anyway". It's astonishingly deceptive.
Given the scale of student hardship, the digital divide, extra costs faced by students, no part time work etc - if this is all the government has the idea that its focus is on students (and disadvantaged students at that) is utterly laughable.
Just as a reminder - the money in premium funding is supposed to help providers support students who might drop out. Michelle Donelan on July 1st: "Since 2004, there has been not enough focus on how many drop out". https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/universities-minister-calls-for-true-social-mobility
There'll be even less if the same money now has to deal with pandemic related financial issues as well.
