Funding cuts behind massive drop in part-time students

The report, 'Pressure from all sides: Economic and policy influences on part-time higher education', lists the axing of financial support for people wanting to study a degree equivalent or lower to one they already held, as well as the recession and austerity measures, as reasons for the substantial drop in part-time students between 2010-11 and 2013-14.
 
UCU said the worrying figures highlighted the need for much better financial support for people who wish to study part-time.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'This report shows that, as successive governments have cut funding for measures which support flexible learning, numbers of part-time students have almost halved.
 
'We need opportunities to be available to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. Part-time courses are vital for people who want to work while they learn, and for people with caring responsibilities, but the financial restrictions placed on part-time students have already stopped many from fulfilling their potential. We need to find ways to encourage people back into education, not price them out.'