To ask the Minister for the Economy when his Department last interviewed students to ascertain their views of how higher and further education bodies based in Northern Ireland are delivering value for money for the fees charged.

The National Student Survey (NSS) is an annual survey open to higher education students in their final year. The NSS is managed by the Office for Students (OfS) on behalf of the UK funding and regulatory bodies - the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland), The Scottish Funding Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

The purpose of the NSS is to provide every student, whatever their background, with an opportunity to voice their experience of their course at their university/college. The NSS gathers students’ opinions on the quality of their courses which helps to:

inform prospective students’ choices;

provide data that supports universities and colleges to improve the student experience; and

support public accountability.

Every university in the UK takes part in the NSS, as do many colleges. Response rates are consistently high.

The NSS is under constant review to improve quality, student choice, competition and value for money in higher education. A review of the student survey is currently underway to consider the role of the survey, the questions the survey should pose to students, and the publication of data. The aim of this work is to ensure that the NSS remains fit for purpose, and that it continues to support regulation and student information across all four jurisdictions of the UK.

The Department expects higher education institutions to take account of the results of the annual NSS to inform their own policies and annual Value for Money Statement which is made to the Department.

Engagement with Further Education (FE) learners is usually carried out by the colleges themselves. However in June and again in December 2020, the Department did commission colleges to seek the views of students on their experience of learning during the pandemic and this helped to inform the colleges’ approach to delivery during that period. It did not, however specifically address the value for money aspect.

It is worth noting that many learners in FE colleges are able to avail of colleges’ concessionary fees policies which take an individual’s financial circumstances into account and given the high proportion of FE learners falling into the lower two deprivation quintiles (44% in 2020/21), it would be expected that many learners will not have to pay their full course fees.

The Department also commissions an annual FE Leavers Survey (FELS), which normally begins in February each year and lasts for a period of 6 weeks. The aim of this survey is to collect information on the destinations and potential benefits to students of completing and achieving a regulated qualification at an FE College in Northern Ireland.

I met with National Union of Students/Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) on the 18th January to discuss a range of issues affecting students and officials in both Higher and Further Education also regularly engage with them to hear their views on issues which face learners.