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Scrapping HE participation target 'would be short-sighted'
10 March 2010
A call to scrap the government's 50 per cent target for participation in higher education has been branded "short-sighted" by a university principal.
Professor Freda Bridge, principal of Leeds Trinity University College, said that a recent claim by the Association of Graduate Recruiters that tuition fees should be raised in order to stem the flow of students to UK universities fails to see the bigger picture.
She said: "It is very short-sighted to suggest that encouraging young people from across the spectrum to aspire to higher education devalues a degree.
"There are good arrangements in place to secure the standards of degrees and the quality of learning provision, with public information available accordingly."
She added that the key to a successful HE system lies in recognising the skills and ambitions of pupils early on, thereby enabling them to select the most appropriate university course that will give them the "best possible chance in life".