Solving the University crisis

If you have been unsucessful in getting a place at University this year, then here's an idea for the coalition government which could solve the problem for future generations at a stroke...

A friend of mine has a Bsc(Hons) in Therapeutic Radiography. To get that, her acadamic year was 48 weeks - not 30 like you lot!

Here's the bright idea. We should increase the academic year from 30 weeks to 45. This still leaves students and tutors with 7 weeks off every year - which is a damn site more than the working population gets.

By doing this we could reduce the length of a degree course from three years to two, hence at a stroke increasing the number of places available at univerity by a third. It would also make students more aware of the conditions they will be working to when they get out into the big, bad job world. It would also save money through economies of scale.

And thinking about it, teachers are underworked anyway. I'd kill for their holidays...

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The scandal of University places

Remember the mantra? "Education. education, education"

I recently exposed the scandal of the Labour's cynical exploitation of graduates in order to keep the unemployment figures looking good. Well here's an even bigger scandal - and the reason that all you poor sods out there can't get a University place.

Guess who is to blame? Yep - good old Gordon Brown again.

In 2009, the Labour Government placed a cap on additional numbers of students for the next academic year to avoid hiking up the costs to the Treasury of paying upfront fees, grants and loans.

If Universities exceed the numbers laid down by the previous administration, then they face fines of £3,700 per head.

The simple answer to this (if you are listening Mr. Cameron) is to immediately rescind this cap. If you are serious about local people deciding local issues, then you should allow the Universities to decide how many places they have and to act accordingly. This really does put your claim of devolving government decisions to the front line firmly under test.

But please remember, all you frustrated University hopefuls out there, that when you listen to the Miliband clones banging on about how this coalition government has let you down that it was LABOUR who put this cap in place.

I notice Ed Balls is keeping a low profile...

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