Education
In this section you can find out more about concerns surrounding the education of veterinary undergraduates.
Current position
The Government’s proposed changes for the future of higher education in England were set out in a White Paper - Students at the Heart of the System published on 28th June 2011 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. BVA and AVS worked together to produce a response to the White Paper. Great feedback was received from members and we incorporated comments from across all the forums where debate took place on the community platform.
The White Paper focused on student funding reforms, improving the student experience and increasing social mobility and although we are broadly supportive of the benefits promised, the impact on specialized subject areas such as veterinary science may not be entirely positive.
In line with the Government’s plans to reform higher education, Simon Hughes MP, Advocate for Access to Education, has produced a report on widening access to longer courses such as veterinary science. The report recognises that to increase social mobility, access to education has to be widened and to attract applicants from a range of backgrounds, longer courses such as the veterinary science degree will require additional support. BVA has welcomed the report.
What the BVA has done
The BVA Members’ Services Group (MSG) Education Subgroup has been looking at areas relating to veterinary student debt including the availability of loans and grants, the causes of high levels of debt and the adequacy of the financial advice on offer.
To address these growing concerns the MSG Education Subgroup has:
- investigated the impact of student debt by developing a draft model to demonstrate how much repayments are likely to be over the lifetime of a typical vet student loan and when the loan is likely to be paid off based on the average earnings after graduation.
- developed a position statement
- contacted the University Deans requesting views on the structuring of EMS within the curriculum timetable and the matter of raising awareness amongst students of long course loan availability
Extra-Mural Studies (EMS)
The BVA is supportive of the principle of EMS and believes it is an essential part of the curriculum. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of the current system as the financial impact on students of completing EMS is significant.
What the BVA has done
Following discussions with BVA, Lady Winterton MP supported BVA’s concerns by writing to David Lammy at the Department for Business Innovation & Skills but the response was not as positive as hoped.
BVA responded to the call for evidence from the RCVS as part of its EMS review and BVA has reviewed and updated the EMS Guides for students and employers
Student Loans
Awareness of the problems that veterinary students encounter in funding their long veterinary degree course was raised by the Countess of Mar, a BVA honorary associate, in July this year in a letter to Lord Henley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Defra. She motioned for the Government to come up with a solution to the problem, making reference to the element of financial support open to students of medicine and dentistry. Lady Mar cited the importance of the veterinary profession to public health and the disadvantages veterinary students face due to compulsory EMS placements taking place during vacation periods.
Lord Henley responded by making it clear that Defra has no plans to provide equivalent funding for students of veterinary medicine but they will work closely with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) as the impact of student funding becomes clearer.
Lady Mar also tabled a Parliamentary Question to ask Her Majesty’s Government what assurances they will give that the data relating to student loans will not be passed to credit reference agencies in the future so that graduates may successfully apply for mortgages and other loans.
- Lord Henley replied, making it clear that that student loans data will not be shared with credit reference agencies and will therefore not impact on an individual’s credit score. However, he also emphasised that there are ‘currently’ no plans to do so. BVA will continue to be alert to this and apply pressure when needed
- He reinforced the Council of Mortgage Lenders advice that a student loan would be unlikely to impact materially on an individual’s ability to get a mortgage.
Tuition Fees & Access
What the BVA has done
The Browne Review was published in October 2010 and explored higher education funding and student finance. BVA was concerned about the potential impact of the Browne review; particularly
- increased tuition fees and the effect on students from poorer backgrounds who may be less willing or able to take on debt
- the effect on employment choice amongst veterinary graduates
BVA wrote to Vince Cable outlining these concerns and we have been in correspondence with David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, to ask him for further clarification on the Government’s intention to look more widely at funding issues surrounding long courses. We have also sought clarification on the suggestion that clinical training programmes such as veterinary science should attract investment.