This week’s story on the BBC News Education website warning us that the UK could become "yesterday's country equipped with yesterday's skills" if education cuts continue, struck close to home for me, with three teenagers potentially going to university in the next few years.
The percentage of young people going to university has dropped significantly in the UK since 2000. If you look at graduation rates, the UK had the third highest rates back in 2000 and had fallen to 15th by 2008, according to an OECD report.
With the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) being cut, it will be the poor that are hit hardest. The irony is that greater numbers of disadvantaged young people will be costing the government money anyway, as the alternative is to go on benefits.
Some university heads have predicted that the cuts will also mean that some institutions will close. The situation is made worse by the fact that with immigration rules tightening, fewer foreign students can come and study in the UK which means another fall in revenue.
It will be interesting to see how higher education fares in the UK in the near future. My daughter is part of the first cohort applying with the new fees in place and it’s certainly making her think seriously about vocational courses, and whether it’s worth landing yourself in all that debt!
Fiona Holmer works on the BBC Parents Blog.