British universities face the bleak prospect of massive budget cuts, following the unveiling of a review by the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, the finance minister, George Osborne last week. <\/p>\n
This is according to the education news magazine Times Higher Education.<\/p>\n
The economic plan includes a reduction in the higher education budget from GBP 7.1 billion to GBP 4.2 billion by 2014-15.<\/p>\n
George Osborne, the chancellor, called universities \u00bbjewels in the economic crown\u00ab before announcing the GBP 2.9 billion cutback. <\/p>\n
However, research into the natural sciences and courses in science, technology, engineering and maths are exempt from the cuts.<\/p>\n
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which oversees higher education, will \u00bbcontinue to fund teaching for science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects\u00ab, says The Treasury in a press release. <\/p>\n
But the fate of arts, humanities and social science subjects still hangs in the balance, according to sources quoted in Times Higher Education.<\/p>\n
\u00bbThe cuts will mean the biggest change in the sector for more than 40 years, and state funding may be withdrawn for teaching in many subjects,\u00ab says lobby group Universities UK president Steve Smith.<\/p>\n
\u00bbThe arts and humanities appear to be the most vulnerable and there would be serious repercussions for British universities in the overseas market\u00ab he continues. <\/p>\n
The scale of the cuts, along with the prospect of a rise in tuition fees may drive students from the UK to study abroad.<\/p>\n
\u00bbI predict that in the coming years, studying abroad will be a far more common choice for UK students, especially if tuition fees in Britain rise as high as GBP 2,000 a year in some universities as has been forecast,\u00ab says Dr Jo Rizen, rector of Maastricht University. <\/p>\n
luci@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n