Responding to the Welsh Labour Government’s statement on Higher Education, Angela Burns AM, Shadow Minister for Education, said:
“We recognise that the structure of Higher Education is changing, but ownership of reconfiguration plans should be for universities and their students rather than being based on a central diktat from Ministers.
“The Education Minister presented Hefcw’s recommendations on the future structure of Welsh universities as independent, however, it has since emerged that his department had the case for mergers played up.
“Welsh Conservatives support greater collaboration between institutions to ensure value for money and share best practice to drive up standards of teaching and research at Welsh universities.
“Enforced mergers could have a negative impact on individual reputations, application rates and morale, especially when, due to the Minister’s massive student fees subsidy, funding for universities is increasingly uncertain.”
