Universal not University Credit.

Governments across the world are helping at this time of crisis with hopefully priority to those with the greatest need. In the USA Harvard University have just taken $9 billion of aid, Stanford $7.4billion and Yale $7 billion. This aid came from the taxpayer that’s right Joe Public. The three Universities meantime have a $97 billion endowment. Is this $23.4 billion aid priority ?

In UK the Universities are seeking help during the Covid Crisis and the Government are presently considering doing so along with the rest of UK Plc and British business. Highlighted as a backdrop to the request is the claim to protect the cultural and social capital of our nation, indeed along with their research functions that is certainly something to behold. Unfortunately they are not quite a business yet the Deans and Chancellors with Teachers all seek to pay themselves salaries equivalent to the real outside world and in effect it is the status quo that they seek to protect not the Educational Institution.

Private Schools are run like business and no doubt they have taken furlough help to keep the staff but grant aid or loans to maintain their status quo is a rich request too far. In any event the inevitable change post Covid will be less foreign student intake plus add Brexit to the mix then a big sea change will come. Not a bad thing as it will also remove the dross of high charging Landlords and excessive property values in Major University Cities spoilt to date by housing this ever flowing student stream. The investment in education should be in the education itself not to support the para business that surrounds.

The ever growing Student Housing business will now see casualties and online education is going to be the way forward in the post Covid world. Therefore to help bale out Universities must be really thought through before good money or more importantly borrowed money is handed out at the Graduation ceremony.

Universal Credit is what’s needed not University Credit. The latter is an outrage we can ill afford.