SOAS VC calls for collective approach to university funding, not higher fees for a few
SOAS Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib has called on universities to come together to help tackle the funding crisis that has significantly impacted the higher education sector in recent years.
Speaking at the Times Higher Education’s World Academic Summit, Professor Habib said: “This is a historical moment we confront,” urging universities to seek a collective approach as he questioned “are national conversations speaking to this moment?”
The UK university sector has been subject to a series of financial challenges for some years, from costs rising, the reduction in overseas students and capped fees. All factors combined have placed many universities in a precarious position, as has been widely reported.
In his address, Professor Habib urged universities to “elevate the conversation to think sectorally, rather than through an institutionally parochial lens. That’s the challenge of our time…That’s the challenge we collectively.”
Elevate the conversation to think sectorally, rather than through an institutionally parochial lens.
He warned against individual or a subset of universities increasing fees and added: “We are going to destroy our system [with this] debate and how it’s evolving,” stating the “crisis” in university finances reflected a “failure of leadership through government”.
Professor Habib widened the debate on fees with suggesting new models of international education and stronger international partnerships are needed. He argued there is an opportunity to connect capacity in the UK higher education system with demand from millions of young people seeking university education across Africa.
“You’ve got a moment where there’s great demand. There’s tens of millions of young people [seeking higher education in Africa], and even if all the universities in Africa worked at 100 per cent efficiency, they would never be able to meet the demands of training [so many],” he said.
He also called on universities to seek partnerships with financial agencies, corporates to cross-subsidise and bring down the cost of higher education for local students.
