Scrutiny to review uni funding

During this month’s Budget debate, Treasury Minister Alan Maclean unveiled informal proposals which would see the States cover the full cost of the £9,250 per year fees for households with an income up to £150,000 a year. Families earning above that threshold will still be able to access half the grant.

Earlier this year, the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel reported that the current system for supporting Islanders going to university was ‘inadequate’ and not meeting the needs of families and students.

The finer details of Senator Maclean’s proposals have yet to be unveiled and the panel have now launched a review of the scheme.

Deputy Jeremy Maçon, who is leading the review, said: ‘The panel is pleased that the Council of Ministers has brought forward plans to solve the issue of student financing, however it is only right that further scrutiny is undertaken to assess the appropriateness of the proposals. The panel will look to identify whether the proposals meet the needs of local students, and whether they are sustainable for the Island.’

The grants scheme would be funded in 2018 and 2019 through government underspends and existing contingencies, but the long-term funding required beyond 2019 has yet to be decided.

Senator Maclean has previously said that the higher rate child allowance would be scrapped, providing a £3.5 million saving from 2021 to go towards covering tuition fees, but admitted that further funding would be required beyond that.

A month-long consultation was launched earlier this week, seeking Islanders’ views on the scheme. The online survey can be completed by logging on to survey.gov.je/s/unifunding.

– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –