Section A Top UK Universities Warn of Damage from Budget Cuts The heads of 20 of the UK’s most prestigious universities have warned that government plans to cut funding will lead to a higher education 'meltdown'. In an article for the Guardian, the Russell Group said the gold standard education they now offer would be reduced to one of bronze or worse. (76) Universities are facing cuts of more than ￡ 900m over the next three years, and fear worse is still to come. The government said funding for frontline teaching was protected. The strongly worded article by the university heads is intended as a dire warning against forcing universities to bear brunt of the need to slash public after the general election. It said: ' (77) It has taken more than 800 years to create one of the world’s greatest education systems and it looks like it will take just six months to bring it to its knees. Such huge cuts in university budgets would have a devastating effect not only on students and staff, but also on Britain’s international competitiveness, economy and ability to recover from recession. The Russell Group, which includes Oxford and Cambridge universities as well as Warwick and Glasgow among others, said the upshot would be universities facing the closure of hundreds of courses, with fewer academic staff and bigger classes. (78) It said reports suggested that as many as 30 universities might not survive in their current form. if even minimal funding cuts were introduced. The article also highlighted higher education spending in other countries. ' (79) Nicolas Sarkozy has just announced an investment of 11 billion euros in higher education in France, stating he wants ‘the best universities in the world‘,' it said. ' Germany pumped a total of 18 billion euros into promoting world-class research alongside university education, while Barack Obama ploughed an additional US $21 billion into federal science spending. (80) The article calls for ministers to consider reversing proposed cuts and for assurances that no further cuts will be imposed. (46)