Universities aiming to charge high fees should recruit more than 90% of their students from state schools, according to a senior member of the Government.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes is responsible for improving access to education for the less well-off.

He said there needed to be radical changes in the balance of privately and publicly-educated young people doing degrees.

Mr Hughes, who abstained in the key Commons vote allowing institutions to almost treble fees to £9,000, told The Guardian universities had "failed miserably" at reflecting society.

The paper said about 7.2% of young people in England attended private schools, but went on to make up more than a quarter of students at the 25 most selective institutions - 46.6% at Oxford.

"Every university should, wherever their fee level is, but specifically for a fee level above £6,000, recruit on the basis of no more people coming from the private sector than there are in the public as a whole," Mr Hughes said.

Fees: Simon Hughes Says Pricey Universities Should Recruit 90% Of Students From State Schools | Politics | Sky News

This is exactly the sort of idealism over common sense that I hoped would end with the demise of Labour. I'm all for giving everybody a fair chance, and I certainly wasn't sent to a private school, but the idea of penalising students simply because they've received an excellent education is nothing short of insanity.

huges is a drunken wombat that said why should top univeristies be the preserve of less than 10% of the population they did'nt get their on merit they just got lucky by an accident of birth.
so you got brilliant exam results well you had a massive set of advantages of cause you did if you got only average results you must be a bit of a thicko really.

Originally Posted by DeltaDog

Fees: Simon Hughes Says Pricey Universities Should Recruit 90% Of Students From State Schools | Politics | Sky News

This is exactly the sort of idealism over common sense that I hoped would end with the demise of Labour. I'm all for giving everybody a fair chance, and I certainly wasn't sent to a private school, but the idea of penalising students simply because they've received an excellent education is nothing short of insanity.

The real problem is that the state schools are a disaster. Get them sorted out and private school children will have no advantage.

Unfortunately, Labour wrecked the state schools and the current government is doing nothing to improve them.

Originally Posted by Mobat

The real problem is that the state schools are a disaster. Get them sorted out and private school children will have no advantage.

Unfortunately, Labour wrecked the state schools and the current government is doing nothing to improve them.

Agreed, except state schools have to take on the pupils they're given. Many of those will be destined for careers as factory workers, bin men or builders. Some will be headed into deliberately unemployment or prison. For those reasons, private schools will always have the upper hand.

Hughes must be drunk. His Government has just taken away state funding for universities and he now wants to tell them how to do their admissions.

The idiot hasn't realised they are effectively privatised.

cambridge has failed in its target to attract 75% state educated pupils and needs to work on achieving that.
I can live with that its unfair to state pupils but I can live with that.
90% plus don't get private education so whining that proles take most of the places tough.

Originally Posted by DeltaDog

Agreed, except state schools have to take on the pupils they're given. Many of those will be destined for careers as factory workers, bin men or builders. Some will be headed into deliberately unemployment or prison. For those reasons, private schools will always have the upper hand.

I don't think that private schools turn down many children. So they should get their share of thickos.

However, parents who send their children to private schools expect them to try and learn. Whereas, many parents with children in state schools are happy to let their children truant or misbehave. That will give the private schools a statistical advantage.

IMHO what matters is that the children who go to state schools and want to learn should be able to.

As Brian Cox, professor of particle physics at Manchester University and former keyboard player with D:ream once said: "It's complete bollocks".

What does Hughes propose? 15% of state school leavers are illiterate. Should some of them go on to university? What about disabled kids with IQs under 50? They're part of society so presumably there should be a place for them at university too.

Bollocks like this has already led to the development of a very obvious, American style Ivy League in Britain. Next time you're browsing the job ads, see how many of them require a degree from a "traditional university" or a "Russell Group university" or an "established university". Graduates of the South London University of Media Studies who spent less time in a lecture theatre than they spent in the union bar need not apply.

The next step will be the development of a private university sector. Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Yale are all in the private sector and they can charge what they like. Currently, there is only one private university in Britain. Oxford and Cambridge have been dropping hints about dropping out and charging 30 grand a year like the top American colleges.

Still, why worry. Simon's got his degree from Cambridge and everybody else can go and do media studies at Scumbags College.

Perhaps the University's (the top ones) should only be recruiting the top 10% of school leavers. Then we can get rid of all the psudo Uni's. They can go back to being Colleges/Polytechnics.

I seem to remember the Colleges/Polys being full of part time students doing C&G, ONC, and HNC. The companies sending them there had already done the intelligence sift, and sent those with the aptitude to College. They want to train people to their requirements and send some for further education in the broader field. This will repay itself in ideas brought back by the student in their education that will be broader than the industry their company may be working in.

Now companies are faced with dozens of Degree level students, but they have no idea if these people have the capability to work in a real world environment.

Originally Posted by Mobat

I don't think that private schools turn down many children. So they should get their share of thickos.

I don't think so. I have relatives who were looking for a private school for their daughter. All of the private schools they tried had an entrance exam. The local state secondary was one of those specialist Academy schools. Specialised in research into stab wounds and drugs. Had a strict policy of no expulsions, even for kids who put classmates in intensive care.

The state system in many places is so awful that private schools can pick and choose their pupils. Only the clever ones will be admitted and most of them will have the ability to go on to university. You could turn Hughes' argument around and ask whether able kids should be denied a place at university because they went to a private school.