BBC News has found an interesting angle on the #StudentLoans debate, but… #nuance needed.
The talks were a fair idea, but failed for various reasons. Here's a story about my non-involvement in those talks... 🧵
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
1/20
Although much of this sub-sector is run through franchising, the business management in an office block model can also be done directly. The only university to get a ‘requires improvement’ in TEF now has the second highest UG numbers in England. It even uses the building that St Patrick’s did.
Last week on Wonkhe: Michael Salmon explores why, whether technocratic or populist in character, UK immigration policy is set to continue its outsized role in the lives of international staff
An old colour picture postcard showing a striking image of a window set into a concrete wall, reflecting a colourful background; below is a sign reading "Houghon Street", an air conditioning unit with two vents that lookm like wide open eyes, and a litter bin
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of LSE
This was outside the old Three Tuns - the @lsesu.bsky.social bar - and the aircon unit does look like it has Seen Things
All gone now, because the concrete never sets on LSE
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
But if the government had stuck firm to what we might call the technocratic approach to work visas, then there would remain a clear opportunity to marshall evidence in favour of international recruitment (while at the same time thinking seriously about the role of the higher education system in training the UK’s scientific, social, technical and cultural workforce, which isn’t a bad side-effect). Instead, Labour has continued to gesture at this via increases to the cost of the visa system and employing overseas staff, while in other areas – particularly, but not only, in the routes to settlement consultation – it has given in to populist tendencies that have little to do with what’s best for the UK either as an economy or a society, and everything to do with its political anxieties and factional power struggles.
An excellent analysis of immigration and the UK HE system by @wonkhe.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/immigr...
NEW on Wonkhe: Michael Salmon explores why, whether technocratic or populist in character, UK immigration policy is set to continue its outsized role in the lives of international staff buff.ly/5ouoZaE
Student loans at both PMQs and in Westminster Hall today. Miserable. And a surprise win for the Lib Dems.
wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...
Universities Scotland Director Claire McPherson spoke to @wonkhe.bsky.social's Policy Radar on all things Future Framework and Scottish elections yesterday. Subscribers will have the recording in their inbox or you can find out more online: wonkhe.com/subscription...
A great thread on the utter mess which successive governments have gotten themselves into over student loans.
The point about forgetting that student loans are a means to an end not an end in themselves is a classic example of the law that in complex systems admin inevitably becomes *the* business.
Westminster Hall debate on student loans. Lots of focus on the endlessly spiralling debt. But most interesting piece to me is MPs who are not noticeably different ages explaining their repayments are o very different loan systems. Wait a decade and that will be worse as Plan 5-ers enter Parliament.
Well worth a read
The institution in question being @ucl.ac.uk, which is 200 years old this week - Happy Birthday!
And it’s also my 200th @wonkhe.bsky.social #HigherEducationPostcard blog
This is one of the absolute best things I’ve read on the potential impacts of AI on society and democracy. Forensic, principled, and sober. Bravo, @williamcb.bsky.social!!
I’ve lived through every stage of the building of England’s fees and loans system — and as it has evolved, it has become something that is a good deal on paper, but feels unfair and is effectively inexplicable.
My first piece in my new role as Director of The Post 18 Project.
Oh dear. Last week DWP secretary of state McFadden claimed 60+ employers had "committed" to providing jobs for NEET young people through the flagship jobs guarantee scheme
Today we learned there was no "commitment" ... just an "interest"
feweek.co.uk/mcfadden-ove...
Extract from the assessment report
A major underlying concern in the original assessment report is the expansion in student numbers. Regent College had 4000 business students when the assessment was done. Greater Manchester just noted their partnership with Regent has now reached 10000 students.
I think the growth in MRes numbers might appear to be a good thing if they weren’t nearly all at four universities. Four universities that might not appear to have previously been particularly strong in PGR. And if the students hadn’t all come from very specific markets.
bsky.app/profile/mike...
A bit more info here (just out) committees.parliament.uk/publications...
Some initial reactions to the 'published on a Sunday afternoon' letter from the CEO of UKRI. 🧵
www.ukri.org/news/open-le...
Immortal Memories: Latest blog. Time for a bold new international higher education league table. This time it is to mark Burns night and is a ranking of HigherEd whiskies with an impressive showing for a @wonkhe.bsky.social malt. Slàinte!
wonderfulhighered.com/2026/01/25/i...
And the report isn't even from today, it already had a round of headlines in December. They've just press released out a different bit of it
A brutally honest but important article by @jimdickinson.bsky.social on how “Welsh higher education is running out of wriggle room” wonkhe.com/blogs/welsh-... @wonkhe.bsky.social
It was nice to join the Wonkhe podcast to talk about the present for a change. Not a quiet week: the International Education Strategy, UCAS end of cycle data and a new NUS campaign on student maintenance focused on parents.
wonkhe.com/blogs/podcas...
That led me to thinking - "when did I first warn about changes to loan terms for existing borrowers?"
2011...
andrewmcgettigan.org/2011/06/18/i...
NEW on Wonkhe: Now that it’s on the statute books, Michael Salmon looks at what made the final cut in Scotland’s new tertiary legislation buff.ly/hywLloC
An interesting take. I'd also suggest that the splitting of research and students oversight in England hasn't helped. Not that long ago, home student income cross subsidised research, because staff did some research to keep up-to-date. We now behave if the 2 were done by entirely different staff.
An old colour picture postcard showing a red brick Victorian college building, slightly gothicky. There are horizontal bands of lighter bricks. At the top of the card is printed "Keble College (Front), Oxford"
If you like this image, please repost it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @kebleoxford.bsky.social
It has been a controversial building, but I have to say, I'm fond of the stripiness - like Siena Cathedral, but lace pacer-like
NEW on Wonkhe: The next four years of research funding will be organised in a very different way. Michael Salmon and James Coe explore how buff.ly/C0NdqD1
