UCU responds to Denham speech on future of higher education

Responding to the secretary of state John Denham's wide-ranging speech on the future of higher education, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'We welcome the minister's strong words about the need for greater investment in the sector and understand his comments about how higher education must be able to prove its worth.

'We cannot agree with the minister's assertion that variable fees have 'been seen broadly to work'. There is not actually any real variance in fee levels at our universities and there is no evidence to demonstrate a substantial improvement in the social make up of university students, which was a key part of the reforms in the 2004 bill. In fact the numbers have more or less stood still.

'We welcome plans for a more flexible approach to higher education, particularly for part-time students. However we feel we must defend the idea of "liberal education" he mentions. University and higher education must be about more than just getting students through a degree and out the other side. We had hoped this debate would look more at the power of higher education and what it can help achieve, rather than focussing on a bottom line and treating students as commodities.'