Think Development Blog
Protecting Universities as a Public Good: A Response to the Immigration White Paper
On Monday 12th May the UK Government published its white paper Restoring Control Over the Immigration System. The section on what is termed “responsible recruitment” includes a potential levy on higher education provider income from international students, in theory to be reinvested into the higher education and skills system, as well as a reduction in the time which Graduates are allowed to remain in the UK after finishing their studies.
These proposals are part of a broader policy agenda to promote growth while controlling (and reducing) immigration and must be seen in this light. They fail to consider the value of diversity in higher education, or the role of the university as a public good. In doing so, teaching and research will suffer.
While the white paper acknowledges the huge economic contributions that international students make to the UK, it also cites concerns over the numbers of international students attending ‘lower-ranked’ universities and the number who apply for asylum or stay beyond the end of their course. As a result, higher education providers are to be handed tougher targets and expected to meet due diligence and monitoring requirements to reduce abuse of the student visa system.
There are questions that need to be answered about who will actually bear the costs of any levy on income from international students, and how the potential new resources will be shared fairly in the sector and within institutions. Moreso, are questions about the impacts for a sector rooted in an unsustainable funding model that is largely reliant on international students’ fees, which is already reeling from funding crises. Reductions in student recruitment following Brexit and recent new rules on visas for student dependents have had significant consequences for recruitment. Further compounding this difficult situation, research funding, an important source of income to the sector is also facing cuts.
Recent comments by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have raised questions about pressure placed on universities to align with national security goals. With UK overseas development assistance being cut to increase military spending - as part of a global retreat from development, humanitarian and peace sector funding – we must avoid the capture of higher education. We should remember that education is a public good, and that higher education has an important role to play in democracy, social justice, and progressive politics. All of which are increasingly under threat as the world faces a polycrisis.
The funding crisis of the development, humanitarian and peace sectors comes hot on the heels of decades of reflection, legitimacy crises, scandals, and calls for decolonisation. As realities hit, meaning smaller NGOs fail and larger INGOs reduce staff and cut programmes, we will see huge gaps in data, knowledge, and implementation emerge. Universities can play an important role in partnering with practitioners in these sectors, in monitoring the material effects of the funding cuts, and in conducting research with scientific as well as applied uses.
For Development Studies there has always been a relationship between research, policy and practice, and many scholars are committed to goals around alleviating suffering, improving wellbeing, and reducing inequality. Different forms of academic activism abound, demonstrating the value of the university as a critical institution. It is important that Development Studies scholars stand together in embracing diversity in our student body, upholding the university as a critical space for visions of social justice, and calling for higher education to be funded as a public good.
Authors Bio
Professor Briony Jones is a Professor of Peace and Justice in Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS), University of Warwick. Dr Shahnaz Akhter is Senior Policy and Engagement Advisor within the University of Warwick’s Regional and National Policy team. Dr Mouzayian Khalil is Assistant Professor in International Development in PAIS, Warwick. The authors are all Executive Management Team members of the Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID)Link opens in a new window, Warwick.