Economic policy

Analysis showed that for applicants living in England, there were 29,163 courses with availability across 327 universities and colleges. Seventeen of the 24 Russell Group universities had vacancies for English residents – a total of 4,509 courses between them – on the Ucas clearing site ahead of results day on Thursday. … [Read more...] about ‘Over expansion’ of universities is leaving students with ‘heavy debts for little economic benefit’ think tank warns as it calls for ‘radical reform’ of sector

Most vulnerable to state K-12 education cuts are school districts that serve students from low-income communities. When a state cuts funding from all school districts by the same percentage, schools that rely more on state funding, which tend to be schools in high-poverty areas, end up losing the most funding. Schools in wealthier districts rely more on local property taxes for funding and are not as adversely impacted by state budget cuts. … [Read more...] about ‘Economic tsunami’: US cities and states hit by Covid-19 face dire budget cuts

6. I’m self-employed. Am I being offered anything? The government said there will be no changes to the scheme until July. It is currently offering self-employed people a taxable grant based on their previous monthly earnings over the last three years, worth up to 80% of earnings and capped at £2,500 a month. To be eligible, you must have annual “profits” (self-employed earnings) of less than £50,000 a year, according to HMRC. … [Read more...] about UK furlough Q&A: All you need to know about the coronavirus job retention scheme

Fifty years after the Warwick scandal, it’s not lefty students but Tory MPs and thinktanks and rightwing papers such as the Telegraph – always eager to find reds under the bed – who warn of the dangers of UK universities’ links to China. Their focus is on security and censorship risks and they quote evidence of Chinese pressure to prevent sensitive subjects such as Taiwan, Tibet, the Uighur Muslims, Tiananmen Square and civil rights in Hong Kong being discussed on UK campuses. … [Read more...] about Academic freedom is precious – so why have UK universities sold out to China?

All western states have until the last few months chosen to look the other way. After all the Chinese economy is now the world’s second biggest – and its huge investment in tech is conferring leadership in AI and 5G. The consensus has been that you have to engage with it. Britain has been no slouch. Recall George Osborne and Boris Johnson’s visit to China in 2013, innocently opening the door to the party’s control of part of our new nuclear industry – or David Cameron enjoying a beer with Xi in a Cotswolds pub heralding a “new golden era” in Anglo-Chinese relations. The party looks particularly kindly on Britain’s 48 Group Club, founded in 1954 to promote Anglo-Chinese trade, whose members include businessmen such as Tom Glocer, former chief executive of Reuters, along with ex-politicians Tony Blair, Michael Heseltine and Peter Mandelson. But its efforts don’t stop there. Academics, former ambassadors and even journalists like … [Read more...] about Hidden Hand review – China’s true global ambitions exposed