It is time to tackle the part-time crisis

Fixing the broken market in part-time study: Open University says part-time students ‘learning while earning’ need direct funding

• A new report, Fixing the Broken Market in Part-Time Study, by The Open University, published on the website of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), says the collapse in part-time higher education is a symptom of a broken market.
• It says part-time higher education can support the Government’s objectives on social mobility, the economy and public finances.
• The OU says the best way of tackling the crisis is to reduce the substantial financial barriers caused by the impact of the 2012 reforms on tuition costs.

Separate and direct funding for part-time higher education students and providers to reduce the cost of study in England is essential if the UK Government is serious about developing the skills the country needs, argues Peter Horrocks, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, in a report published on the website of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). More...