Stephen Court’s article on higher education does not adequately anticipate the problem of oversupply (‘End of the ride for HE?’, December 12—18 2008).
Universities are still expanding to meet the government’s target for 50% of youngsters to study for a degree, yet that target is arbitrary. Peer pressure among sixth-formers stimulated demand during the debt-propelled boom years, but it could have the opposite effect.
Is it still good advice that potentially half of all 21-year-olds should have an interest-bearing personal debt of around £20,000 that has to be repaid just when (for the first time in a generation) they also need to save the deposit for a mortgage?
I certainly question the value of a degree from any university that promises a high pass rate.
There are some careers for which a good degree is essential, but my general advice is ‘get a job, get a life, don’t get a student debt’.
It is still possible to leave school for a paid job in the public services, including training to become a CIPFA accountant, and a professional qualification is surely worth more than most degrees.
Rob Pritchard, Malvern, Worcestershire
