Why not target public subsidy of higher education to meet the full range of skills needed? For other subjects, we need to introduce realistic university tuition fees. This will encourage individuals to consider whether they need and want to go to university, the relevance and value of their course of choice and whether the provider is offering a product of proven quality.
Direct public subsidy of universities should depend on them becoming much more responsive to the lifelong training and education needs of society, rather than continuing to expand as indiscriminate and unaccountable degree factories for school-leavers. The Open University is a successful model of what is necessary and has always charged fees.
Norman Dryden
Edinburgh