Higher education blueprint

Last week's higher education blueprint proposes higher earning graduates paying a graduate tax to replace tuition fees and fund degrees, the privitisation of some universities and allowing failing universities to fail.

The idea of paying a higher tax seems punitive and a possible barrier to social mobility. Higher earners pay higher taxes anyway. Also, it is unclear whether this system will only be for home students, I presume that international students will still pay fees as they won't necessarily be in the UK to pay the taxes, but how will it work for students who emigrate once they've completed their courses? There is already a problem of talent in fields such as science leaving the UK for better research grants and jobs. Would there be seperate taxes for undergrad, postgrad etc?

It is positive that there is talk of forgetting the New Labour target of half the country being graduates. I have spent the last 4 years working in sixth forms and universities. I have often felt uncomfortable with the drive to get students into university regardless of whether it is the right thing for them. I worry about the students who don't have GCSEs, are heavily supported throughout a BTEC and get into university. Do they access the support they need, rise to the challenge and complete their courses or do they struggle and leave with debts and a negative experience of education? Going to university is seen as the norm, and that if you can go then you should. I have had frequent discussions with a Learning Mentor colleague of mine about how pushing students to university seems to be a misinterpretation of the Every Child Matters goal of having ambition for every child. For some students an ambitious target is to get to a working level of literacy or to make positive personal choices around safe sex or gangs, and those achievements should be acknowledged as being as valuble to the individual as another student's place at Cambridge is to them.

I'm aware of my own position in discussing this. I've completed three degrees and am passionate about lifelong learning. I'm not suggesting that people should be prevented from furthering their education. I simply feel that we should make sure that people are making the right choices and have the right skills so that they are able to get the most out of it.

Anyway, enough of my recurring ideological struggle! I'll be interested to see the detail in these proposals and follow what happens next.