Labour’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has announced plans to reinstate means-tested grants for the most financially disadvantaged university students. Phillipson emphasized the importance of ensuring that universities are accessible to all, not just the affluent minority. The grants, previously available to students with household incomes below £25,000, were eliminated by the Conservative government in 2016, replacing them with loans under Chancellor George Osborne’s austerity measures.
During the Labour Party’s annual conference, Phillipson criticized the Tories for politicizing universities and pledged to prioritize working-class youth’s access to higher education. She highlighted the government’s commitment to introducing targeted maintenance grants to support students pursuing priority courses at levels four to six, including undergraduate degrees and higher national diploma qualifications.
Funding for these grants will be generated through a new levy on international students attending English higher education institutions, with detailed information expected in the upcoming Budget. While the University College Union expressed concerns about the levy, arguing against exploiting international students, others like Dani Payne from the Social Market Foundation welcomed the move, citing its importance in facilitating access to education for students from lower-income backgrounds.
The announcement signifies Labour’s dedication to enhancing opportunities for all students and addressing financial barriers that hinder access to higher education.