Oxbridge chief slams Government's state schools push for using universities as 'engines for promoting social justice'

Ministers were condemned by the vice chancellor of Cambridge University for 'meddling' with elite institutions to make them take more state school pupils.

Universities exist to educate and lead research, not to be 'engines for promoting social justice', said Alison Richard.

She said they should be given the freedom to get on with their work instead of being asked to 'fix problems of social mobility'.

The Government has repeatedly called on top universities to do more to attract pupils from poor backgrounds.

Last week figures showed the number of state pupils offered places at Cambridge has risen by 4 per cent this year to 59 per cent of admissions  -  the largest proportion since 1981.

But Professor Richard said: 'We try to reach out to the best students, whatever their background.

'One outcome of that is that we can help to promote social mobility.

'But promoting social mobility is not our core mission. Our core mission is to provide an outstanding education within a research setting.'

She went on to tell the annual Universities UK conference in Cambridge that family poverty, misplaced ideas about 'not fitting in' and poor advice from schools should not be barriers to applying for top universities.

But she claimed that the ' quality of what we provide and our capacity to attract talent are both at risk'.

In a dig at ministers, she said: 'Ironically, in my view one of the greatest risks is driven by the growing appreciation of the relevance of universities, in many ways so welcome.

'The problem is that the conception of relevance is often narrow while the fact of relevance encourages meddling.

'As institutions charged with education, research and training, our purpose is not to be construed as that of handmaidens of industry, implementers of the skills agenda, or indeed engines for promoting social justice.'

She added: 'What we must secure from Government, and from UK society, is not only
a deeper investment in our universities, but also the freedom and the trust to marshal and deploy the sources of revenue available to us in combinations fitted to our particular institutions.'

Ministers have made clear the Government's aim to increase the number of pupils from state schools and poorer backgrounds in higher education.

They are also encouraging universities to work with business and industry when designing degree courses and to promote the commercial relevance of their work.

Speaking yesterday at the opening of 30 new schools across the country, Children's Secretary Ed Balls said: ' Children of all backgrounds need to be familiar with

'They need to feel university is for them, so that we ensure they achieve their potential and use their talent.'

A spokesman for the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills said any measures to help widen university participation were voluntary.

He added: 'We value the independence of universities but we also want to get the best students into the best courses.'