Underperforming universities deserve to close
SIR – The subtext to Theresa May’s speech on tuition fees and finance (report, February 19) is that there are far too many universities, and in this she is absolutely right. What a pity that she will likely shy away from the obvious solution, which is to shut the worst third of such universities.
Such a move would have the further benefit of alleviating the housing crisis as all those redundant halls of residence in and around cities could be converted into flats. Stephen Hazell-smith
Penshurst, Kent
SIR – The recent comments by the Prime Minister highlight the massive growth and obscene expense of this part of the economy.
An examination of the reduction in students’ weekly contact time and lecturing hours compared to several decades ago, together with the total weeks actually spent at university, indicates that students and parents are being cheated.
A A B Wood
Storeton Parva, Wirral
SIR – To achieve a shift in the public’s attitude towards vocational training, perhaps the Government should reconsider its requirement for those going into the nursing profession to obtain a degree.
It could also rethink its equally short-sighted position on those wishing to join the police. John Sutherland
Uxbridge, Middlesex
SIR – Gaining a degree is not simply about equipping one for the world of work; it is more about equipping the individual for life.
Studying a discipline at a higher level is challenging; it expands the mind and helps one to make more rational, analytical decisions. The subject matter is rather irrelevant.
Vocational, technical and allied subjects deserve equal status to the arts and humanities. The big mistake was the transition of polytechnics into universities in 1992. Many of the new universities downgraded their technological and vocational courses in favour or arts and humanities because the demand was greater.
Perhaps it is time to reduce the number of universities, re-establish polytechnics and be less supportive of the notion that a degree is a passport to a good job. We need courses that encourage flexible, analytical thinking. The classics and humanities have a vital part in achieving this.
I write as one who left school at 15, gaining my first degree in my thirties from a polytechnic and a doctorate in my fifties from the Open University. Dr John Black
Bristol