MSE News: Open University pulls plug on Tesco-funded degrees

Tom59

I do not understand this? If the OU accept Tesco vouchers as an alternative to cash. Do they not then forward the vouchers to Tesco who compensate them for the full amount?
If that is the case, then the OU has nothing to gain by stopping this method of payment, but Tesco has.
Therefore it is not the fault of the OU, but of Tesco.

StormyD

I was so fed up when this news hit studenthome on Monday but i've since calmed down. The OU like all Universities appears to be under massive pressure and after talking to my tutor today he admitted this. He also said that as far as he knows the OU get hardly anything from Tesco. In some ways sitting back and thinking about it that makes sense why if our vouchers are only normally for example worth £10 but are converted to £40 would tesco pay the full £40 to the OU?

If the figures are correct being sent around then assuming the OU does at least get the £10 thats a massive loss, if grants for students etc are under threat then this is a big impact. My tutor did say one way or another the OU like others will be making changes to cope with the changes from the Government. This is just the start of the impact of funding cuts surely.

That all said I still don't think they have given us enough notice and I'm not sure restricting it to Level 1 is the answer!

olly300

StormyD I got the impression that was the case.

The OU have got rid of as many summer schools as possible and have looked at courses an got rid of those that don't have significant numbers.

BTW it can take students 12 years to complete a degree so phrasing it out for new students won't work. However giving a years notice would have been much more polite.

Charis

I'm in my last year of an OU degree and we were told on the OU forum last week that even if students got their Clubcard vouchers in May they have to be exchanged for Deals vouchers and registered before the end of May. Given the huge bottleneck likely to happen at the OU it's quite possible that May will be too late to apply.

Charis

Stryder

I would think the OU would get the £10, but maybe less as tesco do not lose £10 when you spend £10 in store.

Still, if they start the scheme there should be commitment. Please, if you are thinking of using the vouchers in May, contact the OU and Tesco to see if they will guarantee early delivery or such like. this would be a small concession

jdturk

Stryder wrote: »

I would think the OU would get the £10, but maybe less as tesco do not lose £10 when you spend £10 in store.

Still, if they start the scheme there should be commitment. Please, if you are thinking of using the vouchers in May, contact the OU and Tesco to see if they will guarantee early delivery or such like. this would be a small concession

I suspect that in the contract it would say it can pull the plug at any time so users should have been aware this could happen

Its unfortunate but the OU is a company that needs to make money and selling their courses at a highly discounted rate just won't do it

StormyD

jdturk wrote: »

Its unfortunate but the OU is a company that needs to make money and selling their courses at a highly discounted rate just won't do it

The OU is a charity isn't it - its not there to make money, its there to provide education. Its quite scary reading some of the pags on the website when you dig for information on how funding works for Univetrsities. It needs more support from elsewhere to ensure it is ruined by cuts to HE.

guiriman

Charis wrote: »

I'm in my last year of an OU degree and we were told on the OU forum last week that even if students got their Clubcard vouchers in May they have to be exchanged for Deals vouchers and registered before the end of May. Given the huge bottleneck likely to happen at the OU it's quite possible that May will be too late to apply.
Charis

If you can get to your local OU office then you can go down and register in person with the vouchers, doing this would mean you'd only have to deal with any bottleneck on the Tesco side of things.

Oldernotwiser

StormyD wrote: »

The OU is a charity isn't it - its not there to make money, its there to provide education..

No university is a charity, they all have to generate income in some way.

atypical

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

No university is a charity, they all have to generate income in some way.

The OU is a registered charity. You can still be a charity and generate income can't you? It's a question of whether you aim to generate profit.

If Tesco only gives The OU 1/4 of the face value of the vouchers I can't see they can be making anything but an unsustainable loss.