Government makes statement responding to Augar Review
4 June 2019 (updated on 4 June 2019)
The Secretary of State for Education made a statement in the Commons on the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding, known as the Augar Report,
In February 2018, the Theresa May announced a review of Post-18 Education and Funding would be led by Philip Augar, and look into issues including the increase in tuition fees to £9,250 a year.
The Augar report published on May 30, and made a series of recommendations, including the reduction of tuition fees. At the report's launch, the Prime Minister made a statement welcoming the report and supporting the recommendations.
- Watch Parliament TV: statement on post-18 Review of Education and Funding
- Read Commons Hansard: statement on post-18 Review of Education and Funding
The Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, addressed the Commons as it returned from Whitsun recess, saying;
"Our higher education system transforms lives, and is a great contributor both to our industrial success and to the cultural life of the nation. It can open up a whole world of opportunities and broaden horizons, and whatever decisions we make about how best to take forward recommendations in this report, it's vital that we support these institutions to continue to offer world-leading higher education to students in future."
He talked about the Government's commitment to both supporting the university sector, and investing in technical qualifications and further education.
Responding for the Opposition, Angela Rayner paraphrased the former Education Secretary, Justine Greening's response to the report, saying;
"Augar is the epitaph of this Prime Minister's Government, slow, wrong-headed, indecisive and above all, failing in its central objective to help level up Britain".
She went on to say that austerity and cuts to education had made the report necessary, and questioned the ability of the Government to implement the recommendations made.
- Read Commons Library Briefing on the the Post-18 Education Review (the Augar Review) recommendations
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