Speaking at the HEFCE annual conference, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts yesterday (Thursday 21 October 2010) reappointed Sir Martin Harris as Director of Fair Access for a further year until October 2011.
Commenting on his reappointment, Sir Martin said: “I am as passionate about widening participation and fair access today as when I was first appointed in 2004. This is a period of critical change for higher education and it is vital that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are protected.
“It remains one of my most deeply-held beliefs that no-one should be deterred from higher education on financial grounds or because of their background or schooling. This was a fear which did not materialise following the 2006 reforms; however, we cannot assume the same if fees rise beyond their current limit. I therefore strongly welcome the Minister’s intention to build on Lord Browne’s report and look at providing more help for students from the poorest backgrounds through a more generous maintenance package. I also welcome the invitation to work with others in the sector to develop the new £150m National Scholarship Fund to improve access for students from families from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Yesterday’s provisional final figures from UCAS on accepted applicants for 2010-11 indicate the scale of the challenge that lies ahead. Around one in three students who wanted to go to university this year did not get a place. We will not know until UCAS publishes its final figures how many of these will from disadvantaged backgrounds but there is clearly a risk that they will be disproportionately affected. Lord Browne’s recommendation to increase the number of student places by 10 per cent over the next three years is therefore a timely one.”
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For more information, please contact OFFA on 0117 931 7171.
Notes to editors
- The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is an independent, non departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. Our main remit is to regulate the charging of higher tuition fees by English universities and colleges offering higher education courses.
- For further information, contact Zita Adamson, Communications Manager at OFFA, on 0117 931 7272 or 0117 931 7171.