marketisation

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No-one will doubt that Higher Education is undergoing one of its historic, but it has to be acknowledged, repeated crises. With a drop in international students by some 16% and with approximately 40% of HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) thought to be likely to go into deficit in 2025-2026, university management teams are cutting universities to the bone. Departments supposedly under review face rapid closure or down-sizing, staff in academic support roles have had their positions slashed and whole programmes are disappearing.

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The concept of marketisation must have seemed a good idea to someone at some point. It’s a shame that it has fallen to higher education to prove the idiocy of capitalism. 

Education is not a commodity to be thrown to the winds of market forces, it is a basic right and should be properly funded and supported. 

As many higher education institutions are on the brink of financial collapse, it’s time to understand what has brought about this perfect storm and what can be done about it. 

Headlines often focus on ‘over-reliance on international students’ but it is more complex than that. Why do you think universities try so hard to recruit international students?... because their fees are not regulated, and universities can charge what they think they can get away with given market forces; i.e. Cambridge can charge a student from China more than Cardiff Met can.