University no longer worth the money, says a third of middle-class parents

When a few good universities changed into scores of "uni's", the rot set in ! Let the top achievers go to university, give them grants(as things used to be)and offer real academic subjects. As things are now, everyone seems to go to "uni". The coinage has been debased for a long time. There are fewer universities here, and fewer "soft" subjects.When I lived in England, there were a fraction of the present number of universities. There seems to be one on every street corner now !

- Expat(Chester), Canada, 14/6/2011 12:50

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"Not worth the investment" - but it was when the course was paid for by other taxpayers? Of course it was, worth every penny!
What we need is a conscripted "Trade workers Army". Never worked or simply don`t want to, tough, but get in free and get fed and billeted at the taxpayers expense (as opposed to cash handouts as benefits) , fully trained up to do all the jobs we seem to need to import at the moment.
You`ll leave after 3 years training re-invigourated, having seen your first dawn, a REAL benefit to society, able - and more importantly, willing to stand on your own two feet.
No "Diversity" or "Hair and nail management "courses offered, though, sorry!

- Darius, London UK, 14/6/2011 12:48

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Too right. Sacrifice, hard work, debt. All so you can earn national minimum wage, flipping burgers - if you're lucky. Better to leave your brains on the pillow and take some of the handouts that attract so many visitors......

- John Smith, Anyone remember a country called England?, 14/6/2011 12:46

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I know lots of people with degrees - most of them have standard office jobs and have degrees in pointless subjects like French Studies etc. I on the other hand was bought up in poverty on a coucil estate, went to comprehensive inner city school and got pretty average grades. I was given a choice by my parents at 16, stay on at school for a year or go to college. I went to college and did a business diploma and then went straight into work starting off as an office junior and working up - oh, by the way, this was the early 80's when unemployment was WORSE than it is today. I had a fantastic career in financial services - done all my financial exams and increased my school grades in my own time. I now have my own business which I built up WHILST working full time. I was never academic but I am energetic, a people's person and always willing to learn - that's what my tools for life were and still are at the age of 45. Know your limitations and work to your strengths.

- How very dare you!, UK, 14/6/2011 12:44

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Degrees from the top twenty/Russell Group universities are as valuable as ever. Those from places further down the leagues, the"unis" that were once fifth-rate training colleges and little local places, staffed by "academics" of dubious quality selling "degrees" in dubious non-subjects are a whole diffeernt thing. The rot set in when Blair saw that he could cut unemployment numbers if he made degree-level study non-intellectual, undemanding and easy by opening up a large number of plastic replica " universities" and allowing them to give semi-literates/numerates three years of drinking,drugging and partying with a guaranteed 2.1 in Applied Soap Opera Studies and Burger-Making at the end of it. Anyone who can't tell the difference between the real and the fake shouldn't be going to university/advising theirchildren to do so.

- Kate Evans, Nottingham,England, 14/6/2011 12:40

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School kid's used to be asked what they wanted to be when they left school, the answer used to be train driver, fireman, doctor etc. now when they're asked, the answer is, “I'm going to go to university”, the next question should be, “yes, but what are you going to do when you leave school”, by the time they finally leave school / university, they have no practical skill, so are unemployable, by the way this doesn't apply to people going to university with a goal in mind, ie. Becoming a doctor dentist scientist vet, etc.

- Peter, Bedford, 14/6/2011 12:38

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