-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited Observer site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited Observer site, go to http://www.observer.co.uk Britain has 'no first-class university left now' Kamal Ahmed, political editor Saturday December 21 2002 The Guardian The academic standards of Britain's leading universities were facing fresh scrutiny last night after Shirley Williams, the former Education Secretary, said there were no 'internationally first-rate universities' left in the country. Baroness Williams, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Lords, said that gross under-funding had seriously affected the quality of research and teaching in the UK. 'At the bottom end there is a tail of colleges and universities that are not even second-rate,' she said in an interview with Prospect magazine. 'And at the top end I doubt whether there are any internationally first-rate universities left in Britain.' Her comments brought condemnation from universities. Cambridge said that Williams's claims were 'ridiculous', while the head of Universities UK, which represents all universities across the country, described them as 'disappointing'. The row will rekindle the debate on the rapid expansion of university education, which critics say has left too many students attempting second-rate courses that don't suit them academically. Charles Clarke, the current Education Secretary, has suggested that the target to get 50 per cent of all children into higher education is no longer a leading priority. Williams, who was Education Secretary in the Seventies, said students would have to pay more towards their university education if the present funding crisis was to be solved. Some form of graduate tax, where students paid back their tuition fees once they had graduated, was the best way forward. 'How do we deal with the under-funding problem?' she said. 'We have to face the fact that the flow of payments from graduates will take 15 years or so to grow into a significant income stream. To cover that gap you need government funding.' Williams said that upfront tuition fees were divisive and would deter students from poorer backgrounds. Next month the Government will publish its long-awaited plans for funding higher education. Early indications that Downing Street favoured top-up fees, where students pay for courses before they start them, were quashed after a threatened revolt by Labour MPs. The Government is now moving towards a form of deferred payment which would come into effect once students were earning over a certain sum. 'Obviously there is a very, very serious funding problem for universities in this country,' said Dr David Secher, Director of Research Services at the University of Cambridge. 'But to suggest that there are no internationally first-rate universities left in Britain is frankly ridiculous.' Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, said: 'Though correctly identifying the enormous funding challenge universities are facing, it is disappointing that Baroness Williams sells them short.' Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
