Williamson: online learning ‘must not be used as a way to cut costs’

Education secretary repeats call for greater quality but acknowledges that universities need more funding

Universities must not use online learning as a “cost-cutting measure” to offer students less face-to-face teaching, education secretary Gavin Williamson has warned.

Williamson told delegates at the Universities UK conference on 9 September that students “will be making a beeline for the institutions that are quickest off the mark” in delivering a return to normal life and in-person education, and that vice-chancellors must keep investing in face-to-face teaching.