UCU, students and VCs protest over funding change

The letter, signed, among others, by UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, NUS president, Gemma Tumelty, and vice chancellor of the Open University, Professor Brenda Gourley, says: 'we ... are puzzled as to why, without consultation, the government announced that from 2008 universities and colleges in England will lose £100M of public funding for the teaching of students studying for qualifications equivalent to, or lower than, qualifications (ELQs) for which they have previously received an award.'

It goes on to say that the modern labour market requires up-skilling and re-skilling, and 'ELQ students are the very ones re-training, updating professional skills and accessing the lifelong learning which the Prime Minister and Lord Leitch espoused.'

The letter also warns that: 'Widespread "unintended consequences" are likely, particularly in relation to widening participation. Significant numbers of adults will discontinue their lifelong learning because they cannot afford it. Their withdrawal will make large tracts of university continuing education unviable - often in the very institutions criticised for not doing enough to widen participation.'

The government is called on to defer implementation and refer the policy for proper scrutiny.

• Read the letter in full on The Guardian website