Clause 23 - Condition that may be requried to be imposed by English funding bodies
Higher Education Bill
9:30 am
Mrs Anne Campbell (Cambridge, Labour)
As a maths graduate myself, I read the reports this morning with interest. I would be rather alarmed if there was a flood of entrants into maths courses who were not properly qualified. There are good reasons for applying to study mathematics,
not least that it can increase one's earnings capacity considerably more than many other courses. The fact that a course is cheaper should not necessarily encourage people to study a subject that is acknowledged to be difficult. The answer to the lack of mathematics graduates, which my hon. Friend rightly pointed out, is not cheaper fees but better teaching in schools. Higher salaries for school mathematics teachers would get the right quality of graduates teaching mathematics. It is one of the most interesting and rewarding subjects.
It is worth spelling out why so many Labour Members are opposed to variable fees and why I expect support for the amendment on Report. If the proposals are accepted as drafted, the choice of university and the courses that students take will increasingly be based on affordability and not on academic ability. Highly priced universities may put people off, and prevent them from reaching their true potential, as they will try to find a cheaper course elsewhere.
It would be churlish of me, however, not to say that the Government are offering students from poorer backgrounds student support that is second to none. Maintenance grants and easier debt repayment, especially if it is well publicised, will do much to encourage people from low-income backgrounds to go into higher education. There is a great deal of ignorance among potential students and schoolteachers about the fee structure. I hope that the Government will run a big publicity campaign to emphasise that if the proposals for student support come about, it would be easier for students from low-income backgrounds to go to university.