Failure of the UK to reach an agreement on its post-Brexit membership will affect students from Britain, disabling them from participating in the Erasmus exchange program.
As a substitute, the UK has announced its new scheme, which according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will connect UK’s universities with the best universities in the world, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The scheme, worth £100 million, will be named the Turing scheme, after the British computing pioneer Alan Turing, and it will offer the chance to students to attend not only universities in Europe but also the best universities across the world.
As per the UK leaving Erasmus+, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Adam Tickell, said that the decision means a real loss as the Erasmus programme has changed the lives of thousands of youngsters over the years.
Almost a year ago, back in January, Prime Minister Johnson guaranteed MPs that there isn’t any threat to UK’s Erasmus membership. However, after confirming the end of the UK’s membership in Erasmus, Johnson argued that the UK “loses out” financially due to the high number of EU nationals who come to pursue studies in the United Kingdom.
“So what we are doing is producing a UK scheme for students to go around the world,” he added.
According to Vivienne Stern, the Director of Universities UK International, despite the fact that the decision on not remaining in Erasmus is disappointing, it is not surprising that the European Commission decided to negotiate the costs of the membership.
“As I understand it, there will be grants for young people not just in universities but broader than that, to support study and possibly working and volunteering. These experiences help graduates gain employment, especially for students from low-income backgrounds who are the least likely to be able to travel abroad otherwise,” Stern noted.
According to a previous report published this year, ending the Erasmus membership could cost the United Kingdom over £200 million a year.
Earlier this month, the European Parliament and the German Presidency of the Council have reached a provisional deal to expand the Erasmus+ program for the period 2021-2027, through which will benefit up to 12 million youngsters.
Since 1987, the Erasmus program has offered student exchanges and school links, work experience and apprenticeships in European countries. About 200,000 people, along with 15,000 British university students, have participated in the programme under the latest version of the scheme.
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