Britain's ex-Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has revealed he wants to phase out university degrees that do not maximise ‘earning potential’ if he's elected Prime Minister.
The Guardian reports that as part of his proposal, the Prime Minister candidate hopes to reform education for people aged over 16 to ‘stride towards parity of esteem between vocational and academic education’.
“These proposals will take a tougher approach to university degrees that saddle students with debt, without improving their earning potential,” Mr Sunak said.
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He added: "A good education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet when it comes to making people's lives better."
Mr Sunak said that he would assess university degrees based on their dropout rate, numbers in graduate jobs and yearly income, with the exception of courses relating to medical health care professionals.
The politician added that, if elected, he would strengthen networks of technical institutions and facilities, so they are better connected with the industry.
Sky News reports that Mr Sunak doesn’t just want to make changes at the tertiary level, but also hopes to implement policies in primary and high schools.
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He pledged to improve professional development for teachers by reducing their workload and committed to government plans to open 75 free new schools.
“I will also take bold, practical steps to build on the successful Conservative education reforms of the past decade by harnessing technology and improving the quality of teaching in underperforming areas,” he said.
He also promised to provide school trusts with an ‘accountability holiday’ for those taking on underperforming schools.
The former Chancellor’s comments come a week after fellow PM candidate Liz Truss pitched herself as an ‘education Prime Minister’, according to The London Economic.
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Ms Truss announced her plan to replace failing academic schools with new free schools while promising top-grade pupils an automatic invitation for interviews at premier universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
While vowing to get education back on its feet, she said: “My six-point plan will ensure our education system gets back on track by giving every child the tools they need to succeed.
“Through a laser-like focus on improving maths and literacy standards we will make a real difference to children’s lives and by giving families greater choice and flexibility when it comes to childcare we will also save them money.”
Charisa Bossinakis