Top Universities Warn Government Targets Cannot be Achieved
A poll of the vice-chancellors of Britain's leading universities, carried out for the Today programme, suggests there is deep scepticism about the government's target that 50% of school-leavers should go to university. The poll findings also show that there are fears that our top universities are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the best in the world, because of lack of resources. The Today programme contacted the vice chancellors of the 19 universities comprising the so-called Russell Group, which are recognised as the leading research-led institutions in the country.
The answers of the twelve vice chancellors who responded show a high degree of convergence of view on certain problems. Ten of the twelve believe that the government's target that 50% of school-leavers should go to university is not achievable under existing arrangements. Eight of the twelve do not believe that the current funding system will enable them to stay at the top of the world league of the best universities. All of them said they find it increasingly difficult to recruit good staff in certain subjects - particularly in IT, engineering, economics and medicine. Low pay was highlighted as the main problem. A significant minority - five out of the twelve - would favour the development of some private universities on the American model.
The vice chancellors declared themselves unanimously in favour of tuition fees for students, but also strongly in favour of restoring maintenance grants on a means-tested basis. The overall message from the poll is that leading universities say they need more money to maintain standards.
Read the full results of the
Dr Colin Lucas, vice chancellor of Oxford University and sitting co-ordinator of the Russell Group
