UNITED KINGDOM

But looming large for higher education and research is the continuing uncertainty, which the election will not resolve no matter who wins, over the future of the UKs participation in Horizon Europe, the EUs flagship research programme, and Erasmus+, its student and staff study and exchange programme, after Brexit, or over whether Brexit will happen at all.

Labour argues that under the Conservatives universities are treated as private businesses, left at the mercy of market forces, while top salaries soar and students pay more for less.

Tuition fees have trebled and maintenance grants have been scrapped, leaving the poorest graduates with an average debt of 57,000 [US$74,800], Labour's manifesto says. Therefore, the party is promising to end the failed free-market experiment in higher education, abolish tuition fees and bring back maintenance grants.

The policy would only apply to universities in England, as education is devolved to the administrations of the countries that make up the UK.

However, Natalie Perera, executive director and head of research at the Education Policy Institute (EPI), launching an analysis of the parties manifestos last week, said abolishing tuition fees would do very little to improve overall attainment or narrow the disadvantage gap. The 7 billion spent on abolishing fees could be much better spent addressing socio-economic disadvantage earlier on in a pupils life.

The political parties entered the last week of campaigning with a Conservative majority seen as the most likely outcome by voters in opinion polls, but many voters were undecided and a strong push for tactical voting by supporters of Remaining in the EU meant a hung parliament could not be ruled out as an outcome.

Conservative leader and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised with seemingly every soundbite to Get Brexit Done by 31 January, but in reality could only get his withdrawal agreement passed by that date and then would have to start negotiations over the future relationship with the EU.

He has also promised to finish the latter by the end of 2020 a deadline which EU leaders say is totally unrealistic or leave without a deal. Therefore, the chances of a no-deal Brexit remain quite high and the future of the UKs role in EU research programmes and Erasmus+ remains in doubt.

If, on the other hand, Labour won an unlikely majority or, more possible, was able to form a minority government, it would enter talks to secure a more favourable deal than Johnsons, based on having a customs union, close alignment with the single market and continued participation in EU agencies and funding programmes including in scientific research.

It would then put this deal to a Peoples Vote with Remaining in the EU as the other option on the ballot paper.

Labours pledges on higher education cover ensuring adequate funding for teaching and research, widening access and ending the casualisation of staff.

The EPI report points out, however, that proposals to abolish fees are hugely costly and result in the burden being shifted from graduates towards taxpayers, making the system less progressive.

It says abolition of fees favours high-earning graduates by reducing their lifetime repayments substantially, while low and middle earners would see little benefit as most do not currently fully repay their student loans.

There is also little evidence that abolishing fees would encourage more school leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education, as the chief barrier they face is lower attainment in secondary school, it says.

Postponed decision

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have put off a decision about higher education funding until they have looked at the recommendations of the recent Augar review of student finance and funding, which would leave tuition fees at the current 9,250 (US$12,100) a year level for the time being, although the Liberal Democrats will be looking at how they can make the finance system more progressive, possibly by replacing it with a graduate tax.

According to the EPI, the current funding system creates perverse incentives for universities to provide certain courses.

With nearly all universities charging the top level of fees for most or all of their subjects, the cheapest-to-teach have expanded far more rapidly than the most expensive subjects, the EPI report says.

It argues that this is contributing to a mismatch between employers demand for skills and those acquired by workers one of the highest mismatches in the OECD, with around 40% of UK workers over- or under-qualified for their job because current higher education and further education policies are distorting provision, particularly as too little funding is going into further education.

The Conservatives have promised to look at the interest rates on student loan repayments with a view to reducing student debt and to tackle the problem of grade inflation and low-quality courses.

Fast-track entry for top talent

The Conservatives have also promised to introduce a points-based system of immigration under which they would fast track entry for the small number of best technology and science graduates from the top universities in the world and those who win top scientific prizes; and implement the proposed two-year post-study work visa for international students.

In research, they pledge to increase spending to 2.4% of GDP, the OECD average, but dont put a date on the target, a promise matched by Labour. The Liberal Democrats pledge to meet the same target by 2027.

The Tory manifesto says: Once we have got Brexit done, we will turn our attention to the great challenges of the future such as clean energy and advanced energy storage; a cure for dementia; and solving antibiotic resistance. To do this we will make an unprecedented investment in science so we can strengthen research and build the foundations for the new industries of tomorrow.

They say they will continue to collaborate internationally and with the EU on scientific research, including Horizon, although that has yet to be agreed with the EU.

There will also be a 3 billion National Skills Fund created over five years to provide matching funds for individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises for high quality education and training.

Disappointing choice on offer

The EPI said the party policies on post-18 education were few in number and particularly disappointing. While Labours most expensive policy, scrapping tuition fees, would cost 7 billion and may not improve participation, or the access of vulnerable groups, the Conservatives one concrete measure of reducing interest rates on student loans would disproportionately benefit higher earners.

None of the parties live up to the breadth and scale of Universities UKs demands in its own manifesto for higher education and research.

It calls for improved equality of access and opportunity, including more flexibility regarding learning and gaining credits over time; a civic university fund to improve cultural life in the surrounding community and work with left-behind groups and disadvantaged school pupils and the reintroduction of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students.

It also calls for increased funding for research, rising to 2.4% of GDP by 2027 and increasing the number of scientists and researchers by 260,000 by the same date; better conditions for attracting and retaining talent; support for a doubling of the share of students who study abroad to 13% including a national scholarship offer for European students; a 20 million investment into a campaign to promote the UK as study destination to EU students and implementing the two-year post-study work visa for international graduates.

It demands that the government secure associated country status for Horizon Europe and make sure that there is no decline in the total funding available for big international projects of the sort that Horizon 2020 has provided.

It calls for the creation of a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to replace European Structural and Investment Funds.

And it seeks an immigration system that facilitates and promotes academic collaboration and exchange among students, researchers and scientists and the securing of ongoing full UK participation in the next Erasmus+ programme.

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, Universities UK says, the government should immediately reconsider the three-year limit to the European Temporary Leave to Remain scheme and guarantee EU students entering under this scheme that they will be able to stay for the duration of their course and graduate.

It also demands that under a no-deal Brexit the government create fully funded domestic replacements to the parts of Horizon 2020 not open to third countries, such as the European Research Council, and it demands an ambitious and fully funded replacement to Erasmus+.

The Universities UK manifesto says: For Global Britain to be more than a slogan, we need to reinforce this key advantage. In an ever-more connected world, we need to make sure that as we leave the EU our ties across borders are strengthened, not loosened and that academic cooperation, collaboration and exchange between the UK and our EU partners endures and grows.

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Election won't settle issue of EU programme participation - University World News