Access tsar to penalise elitists

Article Abstract:

Efforts to boost the number of people from non-traditional backgrounds entering higher education in the UK are to be redoubled under proposals contained within the government's white paper on higher education. One such proposal, the creation of an access regulator with the power to hand out fines to institutions deemed to be not doing enough to improve access, has been deemed "repulsive by Steven Schwartz, vice-chancellor of Brunel University. Schwartz notes that there are a wide range of factors - such as role models, family values, school quality, the attraction of vocational training and the availability of jobs - which contribute to the decision about whether or not to go to university, and none of these factors can be controlled by the university, therefore it is unfair to be penalised for failing to attract enough people from these backgrounds.

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An open door is not enough

Article Abstract:

Issues concerning increasing university student recruitment from poorer backgrounds are discussed. The European Access Network annual in Spain agreed that univerities should set recruitment targets for poorer students.

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Rules on recruiting students relaxed

Article Abstract:

The Higher Education Funding Council has increased the maximum student number which each university and college can recruit. In 1999 institutions were penalised for accepting more than 2% over their agreed number.

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