POLITICIANS keep mentioning “social mobility” as a cover up for the fact that tuition fees have to be increased.

It’s the opposition MPs who bring in this red herring “mobility” argument.

Fees would not have to be raised so much if certain universities were phased out, whose degrees are not considered much of an advantage to prospective employers, for example, North East Lincolnshire University in Grimsby; ever head of it?

Also, soft degree courses should be made less attractive with higher fees, such as media studies, sports science, sociology, history of art, archaeology and other ‘ologies’.

Maximum grants should be given to students who will most positively benefit the country in the difficult years ahead – sciences, maths, engineering, medicine, Mandarin (Chinese), electronics, etc.

Are any Chinese or Indian students in our universities studying media or sociology?

John Wainwright, Back Lane, Ampleforth.


• IT would be interesting to see what would happen, and what the Government would do, if not one single person applied to go to university in the next year. Maybe that would force the Government to keep the fees low.

A Logan, Tennent Road, York.