An encouraging development

Hello supporter.
Late last week I received a letter from the house of commons in response to two question submitted on my behalf by Mrs Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool riverside. I would appreciate your thoughts on this issue.

Here is the text of one of the responses.
"Mrs Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside): TO ask the Secretary of State for innovation, universities and skills, if he will increase the funding available for students from poorer backgrounds to pursue postgraduate studies.

David Lammy:This government acknowledges the value of postgraduate studies. However, we have to prioritise the funding available. Our priority is to ensure that finance is no barrier to students achieving a first degree: that is why statutory student support is concentrated on undergraduates.

However, there are also a number of measures in place to help people finance post-graduate studies. For example, we recently announced proposals to reposition Career development Loans as a key additional source of support to help people finance learning, as new Professional and Career Development loans (PCDLs). PCDLs will offer more people the opportunity to re-skill and improve their employment prospects by offering more generous terms for the learner, such as loans up to £10,000 and lower interest rates.

Funding may also be available for individuals through the access to learning fund (ALF). The fund allows universities and colleges to provide extra discretionary support for students in particular need; it is administered directly by universities and colleges which are best placed to assess students circumstances."

I don't know if our campaign had any bearing on the matter, but when I first started writing to the minister, his responses all said that no extra funding was available for PG education. I suspect that the weight of letters on this issue has at least made them aware of the problem. You should all be very proud of your efforts so far.

I find the middle paragraph very encouraging. Of course, there are further questions, such as, what are the terms of repayment? And just how low will these interest rates be? But I think this is certainly progress on the matter and will change the life opportunities of some people, who would not otherwise have had the chance to enter PG education.

We do, in my opinion, need to keep pushing this issue along with funding for higher education in general. An extra £10,000 worth of debt is a lot, and the question of fees still needs addressing. Please let me know your opinion on this matter, because I think we have started to change the attitude of government, but there is still a lot of work to be done on this issue. Which matter should we pursue next?

In solidarity
Nick Barnett