British Government Announces Plans for Distance-Education Venture

London

The British government on Tuesday announced a distance-learning project for higher education that officials said was designed to “give U.K. higher education the capacity to compete globally with the major virtual and corporate universities in the United States and elsewhere.”

The venture, whose working title is e-University, will be jointly owned, established, and operated by a consortium of higher-education institutions working with the private sector and overseas partners. The goal is not to set up a new institution of higher education, but to draw on the expertise of existing universities and colleges, according to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which is heading the project.

The amount of money to be allocated for the venture will be determined in the 2001-2 spending review, a spokeswoman for Britain’s Education Department said.

A prime impetus behind the e-University project is an effort to expand Britain’s share of the overseas higher-education market, as well as to fulfill the government’s goal of providing lifelong learning by increasing professional-development and vocational courses.

David Blunkett, the Secretary of Education, announced the project at the University of Greenwich. The council said the number of participating higher-education institutions had not yet been determined.