Students are made to believe that 'university is all about them'

By Joanna Williams. Student satisfaction does not say much about the quality of education, says Joanna Williams. Labour's manifesto needs to be more radical and push for intellectual challenge. It seems Ed Miliband is banking on a promised cut in university tuition fees to secure electoral success. Before we indulge in dewy-eyed nostalgia for the days before student loans, it's incumbent upon those who care about what happens in our universities to question the motives of the party that first introduced tuition fees, raised them to over £3000 per year, and commissioned the Browne Review that recommended the current £9000 annual fee. More...