Responding to the Education Minister’s announcement that he is to launch a Higher Education funding review, Aled Roberts, Shadow Education Minister, said:
“We have all been waiting for the moment when the Welsh Labour Government become up front with people about the faults of its higher education funding policy. Last night’s announcement finally recognised that the current policy is simply unsustainable.
“The timeline for the review couldn’t be more cynical. Having the review report back in autumn 2016 means that the people of Wales will have no idea of Welsh Labour’s higher education policy prior to the Assembly elections. It is incumbent on all parties to set out in detail their proposals for higher education funding before the Assembly elections.
“There are also serious questions over when a new funding policy will actually be implemented. With the current timeline set up, it looks unlikely to me that it will be anytime before 2019. That simply is not soon enough. The current system is unaffordable and needs to be looked at more urgently or our universities will suffer.
“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long championed the need for vibrant, well funded universities in Wales. We want our universities to be able to compete with the very best. However, the current system has undermined our higher education sector and left our universities underfunded. These issues must be addressed”.
