Funding Cuts

In recent years and months, we have seen governments making increasing cuts to education for school age pupils and adult education.

In the UK, a report by the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) found that cuts in education are resulting in some schools cutting parts of the curriculum and reducing services for students with special needs.

Most in the industry have been wondering - What is the future of Education ?  

Also, in the UK, The Institute for Fiscal Studies found a 14% cut in spending in colleges per student and a massive 49% per student in funding for adult education.

In Chicago, education funding has been cut by 40%, which has led to a decline in adult enrolments, in particular amongst the Latino population. It has also led to reduced services, again, for special needs students.

Whilst in Australia, funding for universities has been cut by 10% this year and TAFE funding by 24%.

These reductions in funding can lead to a weakening of the education system in many countries.

In this modern world, where lifelong learning is encouraged, where people need to continue to improve and update their knowledge, cuts to education can have a serious detrimental effect in the short term and long term.

 

Reduced International Students

COVID-19 reduced travel. Students were not able to walk to school, never mind travel to another country to study. Whilst many of the restrictions regarding travel have now reduced, COVID-19 is still having a substantial impact upon numbers of international students.

The British Council states that international student figures going to UK universities are depressed.  The Institute for Fiscal Studies also state that reduced international student enrolments are affecting funding for higher education providers.   In the last year, Australia and New Zealand have seen a 70% decrease in international students.

Many higher education providers, universities, for example, rely heavily on funding from international students.

 

New Education Providers

Market forces will come into play. New education providers will appear and offer the educational services that traditional education providers won’t.  These can result in further losses in terms of student enrolments as students vote with their feet and finding newer, more effective online education services.

 

COVID-19

Bringing in the dreaded COVID-19 again - COVID-19 led to massive changes in the way education is offered. 

• Educational technologies advanced rapidly to meet the changing demands of the education system.
• Traditional education was offered online. Some educators and students are used to distance learning, but this was probably the first time it had happened for some students and educators. Other students and educators may have toyed with online provision. This led to a rapid growth curve for some.  They had to learn how to use distance learning ideas and technology to support their students. 
• This was a massive change, not just for the educators, but also for schools, colleges, universities and other education providers who were used to providing traditional face to face education.
• Distance learning education has been seen as the Cinderella of the education market in the past. A second-rate option. Of course, it never has been, but COVID-19 made people realise that it really wasn’t a second-rate option. Distance learning is not easy. Preparing a course to teach to a group of students in a classroom is not so easily transferred to an online course. What students expect online is very different.   A good distance learning provider will be experienced and effective in delivering distance education.

COVID-19 therefore brought about massive changes in education, which resulted in an increased awareness and more positive view of distance learning.

So, we have had recent funding cuts and COVID-19, both are terrible and difficult things. 

• COVID-19 was a threat to our lives, our health and our education.
• Education cuts are a threat to our education, our future lives and health!

But are these threats or opportunities?

• For an education provider who believes that education should be offered in the classroom and there are no other options, then yes, they are threats.
• For education providers who are willing to embrace these changes and even become passionate and enthusiastic for distance learning, then these changes offer a massive opportunity for growth.

How?

• Funding cuts can lead to a weaking of the scope and quality of the services that education providers offer.
• They have less income to continue to educate their students.

As the public purse dries up, education providers have two options –

• Shrink spending by offering reduced services or lower quality services.
• Finding another source of income

New Sources of Income

As the public purse dries up, therefore, finding other sources of income can be an effective way to increase the income of an education provider, such as a university, college, school etc.

 

Distance learning is the way forward.

• Educational provision carries on in the face of global pandemics – through distance learning.
• International students who want to study at a particular university can still do so from their own homes – through distance learning.
• Distance learning provision can be offered instead of, or alongside, existing education provision.

Funding cuts can still affect education though, so finding a new income source is essential for education providers.

 

Distance learning is the way forward here as well! 

 

How can ACS Distance Education help?

 

ACS Distance Education currently offers over 700 courses.  Be sure to read our ABOUT US page for more in depth information however :  

• We were established in 1979 and have schools in the UK and Australia.
• Our highly experienced team of writers, tutors and admin staff come from the far reaches of the globe. This gives us a unique perspective into educational changes and societal changes throughout the world. We use this unique perspective to inform and improve our education.
• Our courses are updated all of the time.
• We add new courses to our stable of courses regularly. By regularly, we don’t mean every couple of years, we mean weekly at times. We want to stay ahead of education. We want our students to learn and improve and update their knowledge.

We do not just want to inform our students though.

 

We offer the option for education providers, or those wanting to set up an education business, to resell our courses. 

 

This is an opportunity for anyone wanting to –

• Increase the courses and selling assets they offer
• Find more students
• Increase their income

Increased Courses

Distance learning does not have to replace existing courses.  It is there as an option should terrible situations like COVID-19 lockdowns happen again. Hopefully they don’t, but it is important to be prepared.

Distance learning courses can therefore be offered in place of current courses, but it can also be offered alongside existing courses.  Imagine expanding the courses currently offered by a further 700 courses! And more coming all of the time.

More Students

This, in turn, can result in more new students.  Offering more courses means that you have more potential to attract more students. It is as simple as that.

Also, existing students can also study additional courses. A psychology student may actually be really interested in creative writing too, so study psychology as a face to face student, and creative writing by distance learning.

Increased Income

All of this offers the opportunity for education providers to increase their income. The more courses you sell, the more income there is to be made. Offering traditional face to face education provision can be costly in terms of buildings, maintenance, supplementary staff, materials and so on. Distance learning provision is not free, of course, but many of these additional costs are lower or not even there.

 

All of the changes in education, and the world at large, may feel like threats to many, but it is also an opportunity.  Starting an online school is an excellent business and education model. 

 

An opportunity to –

• Improve the provision offered to students
• Increase your income
• Increase the courses offered

We have set up a turn-key business  that is effective and efficient.

 

We have decades of experience of developing and offering distance learning courses using our own LMS Platform. We will share that knowledge and experience with our resellers.    

ACS Distance Education offers an effective and efficient way for education providers to offer a new, wide range of courses.