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A leading MP caused outrage today by claiming that British students are lazy.
Barry Sheerman, the veteran chair of the Commons education select committee, said too many students gain degrees but cannot speak or write English properly.
The influential Labour backbencher called on ministers to force students to work harder.
The National Union of Students said Mr Sheerman was “out of touch” and rejected his “outrageous” remarks.
Ministers this week launched a full-scale review of student finance, which many believe will pave the way for higher tuition fees of up to £7,000 a year. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson warned that leading universities such as Oxford and Cambridge must do more to ensure working class students have “fair access” to courses in exchange for higher fees.
But Mr Sheerman appeared to question whether some of these students were capable of making the most of their degrees.
Speaking in the Commons, he said: “Can we ensure that fair access means students are suitably qualified, that they can speak and write English properly and they can work a bit harder than the average student in our universities, who don't at this moment work hard enough?”
Higher Education Minister David Lammy ducked the question of whether students could be forced to work harder.
But NUS vice-president Aaron Porter said times had changed since the Huddersfield MP enjoyed a free university education in the 1960s.
“Barry Sheerman is evidently out of touch,” he said. “Students are working harder than ever to earn their degrees. On top of this they are now working a record number of part-time jobs to support themselves financially, thanks to the top-up fees policy which Mr Sheerman voted for.
“As chair of the select committee it is particularly outrageous that he should be making such a statement, representing a party that came to power with education as a top priority.
“Mr Sheerman should stop pontificating in the House of Commons and visit a university in his constituency so he can find out what life is actually like for students.”
Reader views (7)
It used to be that you didn't really have to work too hard to get a degree because you were intelligent. Nowadays it seems that anybody can get on a degree course and then expect it to be just as easy as their crappy GCSEs and dumbed down A levels. Modern degrees are not worth having and I do feel very sorry for the poor young people who have been missold them.
A Winsley, maybe you should reread your post to see if it really makes sense. If your children have the same level of literacy as yourself then I'm not surprised they are having to study extremely hard.
- Bb, Hastings, UK, 13/11/2009 10:19
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its a bit of the pot calling the kettle back. my son who is a student studing for his finals in A Level and my daughter who is in University. Both are studying extreamly hard.
Why doesn't Mr Sheerman go back to education and improve his knownledge. He then might be able to speek with more eloquence upon his chosen subjects.
- A Winsley, London England, 12/11/2009 17:34
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When I was a student in Portsmouth early 80s I knew a girl doing a media studies 'degree' - six hours a week full time course. One week all she did was watch 'Gandhi' with her class and discuss it. And I am prepared to wager things are slacker these days, with multiple choice A levels and all.
- Squiz, Islington, 12/11/2009 17:16
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We have two people here doing the same job and displaying similar ability. One left school at 16 to work, the other went to Uni, spent 3yrs partying and left with a degree in a useless subject and huge debts. The tuition fees do not cover the cost of their education, so we are still wasting money to pointless courses for many. I know of engineering students that work extremly hard and attend 20-30hrs of lectures each week and work part-time to cover their costs. We should be subsidising the subjects taht add value to our economy and where there is a shortage of qualified people, and raising the costs of surplus, useless subjects, especially in humanities.
- D, Kentish Town, 12/11/2009 13:21
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And so ther perversion of higher education continues - why don't they just scrap actual thinking and replace it with vocational qualifications, which seems to be the end game here. I always thought that higher education was a chance for young people to learn to think critically and engage in lots of extra curricular activities (such as debate clubs or student theatre) and self-study, but instead it appears that part time working is more important and now students are to be castigated for not putting in the hours. Yes, some people sit on their backsides and drink for 3 years, but that doesn't mean that the whole lot should be punished - after all it's the wasters that lose out on the long run.
- Chris, London, 12/11/2009 12:50
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I agree with him. When I was at Uni I had 30 weeks study a year, 10 hours of lectures a week. I did sweet f.a. for four years and they stil gave me a gents 2.1.
I don't remember seeing anyone really trying at uni apart from one bloke who wasn't really bright enough to be there.
- Ben, London, W1, 12/11/2009 12:18
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I am very surprised that any MP knows how to spell the word "work".
The hardest bit of work MP's have to contend with is fiddling their obscene expenses every month - with no fear of being prosecuted if they are caught with their long smelly snouts buried deep in the trough of taxpayers' cash.
- Reuben Camara, Plot 1, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 12/11/2009 12:15
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