Would universities be better with fewer students and higher fees? Some of the UK’s top graduate employers think so.
The Association of Graduate Employers (AGR), which is made up of 750 companies, wants the government to reduce the number of students at universities.
It says that the government’s target to get 50% of all young people into uni will devalue degrees.
The consortium, which includes companies such as Vodafone, Sky and Sainsbury’s, is calling for the target to be scraped, saying “the focus must shift back to quality rather than quantity”.
The group also said that it was “inevitable” that the cap on fees would be removed, but that this should be done in stages.
It said that this was “the best way to drive up standards”.
The University and College Union, which is made up of lecturers from across the UK, disagrees.
It has criticised the AGR for calling for higher fees, saying that because employers benefit from graduates’ degrees they should “make a proper contribution to university funding”.
The NUS called the ideas “offensive”. President Wes Streeting said that removing the cap on fees would mean that only the rich could go to top universities.
Would universities benefit from lower numbers of students? Who should pay for degrees? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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Comments
Although it is understandable that universities would like better funding, it seems that rather than increasing the prices of education, the system of selecting students must be improved. Many students who are not wholly dedicated to their courses are accepted, whereas a lot of applicants who fulfill the requirements and are genuinely interested in the course find themselves without a place at university.
21-03-10
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