HEFCE's press release of 18 June is short but more informative than previously. It seems that £12 million of the £62 million originally allocated for UKeU is going to be used:
“… alongside other funds, to support the development of e-learning in universities and colleges.” One of the notes in the press release should be of interest.
“There are currently 145 students using the e-learning platform which was developed by the e-Universities and Sun”
So of the approximately 900 students recruited by UKeU the majority were apparently not on the UKeU e-learning platform at all or have been migrated off it with relative ease?
Whilst 145 students and their institutions will need as much support as possible to migrate away from the UKeU platform this should be feasible. It's interesting to reflect if HEFCE would have been in a position to take the decisive action it did if the numbers had been higher but still not enough to validate the UKeU business plan. Maybe that's why they had to act when they did?
Finally what's really sad is another note in the press release:
“e-Universities confirmed that no bids for the platform, acceptable to the company, had been received by the deadline.”
Whilst many will want to castigate UKeU long and hard over this, let's not forget that there are real people lower down the scale within UKeU who were doing their best to implement what the company executive and its partners decreed. It's these middle level and operational staff I feel most for because some gave up secure positions elsewhere and now it has all turned to dust.
