Scots must stage U-turn on top-up fees, says professor
A leading academic who sat on a review group which recommended the introduction of top-up tuition fees in Wales last night called on the Scottish Executive to follow suit. Professor David Bell, an economics lecturer at Stirling University, said ministers "should be looking very carefully" at performing a policy U-turn and introducing the controversial fees for Scots students. Universities in England will be able to charge their students up to £3,000 a year from next year.
The Scotsman
Fall in earnings premium for university degrees
A university degree is no longer a passport to a well-paid job, and the effect on lifetime earnings has fallen, research into the graduate labour market has found. Graduates can now expect to earn an average £140,000 more over their lifetimes compared with those who choose not to go to university; down from the previous estimate of £400,000.
The Financial Times, The Scotsman, The Times Higher Education Supplement (May )
Anglo-German Foundation is to spend £3m to encourage research
The Anglo-German Foundation has launched a £3 million funding initiative for researchers based at British or German universities for applied research to give policymakers a clue as to how to tackle key challenges facing modern Europe. In essence it means finding evidence for how to ensure healthy economic growth in the face of challenges such as the ageing workforce, flagging innovation and environmental concerns.
The Guardian
College's £1,000 lure for brightest students
A sixth-form college is attempting to lure the brightest students on to its courses by offering them a "bribe" of up to £1,000. Bedford College says the bursary will be given to any 16-year-olds who score at least five B-grades at GCSE this summer. Principal Ian Pryce said the college already had more than 3,000 teenagers taking A-levels or equivalent vocational courses but wanted to attract more students from poor families.
The Evening Standard
Galileo volume for sale at £500,000
One of the world's rarest books - a belligerent 42-page rant written, published and signed by Galileo in 1607 - is likely to be the star of the Antiquarian Book Fair at Olympia in London next month. Sold for $500 (£5) at an auction in America in 1924, La Difesa will go on sale with the price tag of £500,000. Only a dozen copies of La Difesa , published in Florence, are thought to be in existence and only three still bear Galileo Galilei's signature.
The Daily Telegraph
Call for rethink on cause of dyslexia
The cause of dyslexia may have to be rethought in the light of a new study linking the disorder to an inability of the brain to screen out distractions. An American team claims to have disproved the popular theory that deficits in certain visual processes cause the spelling and reading woes suffered by 10 per cent of the population.
The Daily Telegraph
Letter
By Bill Rammell stating that the government has made improving access to higher education a priority. The Daily Express
Letters
Regarding the decision to boycott Israeli universities stating that the sanctions will only serve to encourage anti-Semitic attacks. The Independent
Letters
Regarding bright students being rejected by the top universities.
The Daily Mail
From the weekend's papers:
Saturday
- Peter Blake has resigned from the Royal Academy of Arts. The Times
- University probes claims that taxpayers' money was wasted on spin-outs. The Scotsman
- Aberdeen university removes Dalai Lama's image to placate Chinese students. The Scotsman
Sunday
- Thousands of public school pupils are attending training courses to hide how posh they are, as they attempt to get into the top universities. The Mail on Sunday
- A professor at the University of Wales has set up a website which offers the services of a gigolo. The People
- One in ten final-year students say they have not started looking for a job yet. The Mail on Sunday
Monday
- King's College London is discriminating against pupils from good state schools in favour of less qualified pupils from low achieving state schools. The Daily Mail
- The cost of a degree leads working-class boys to seek a job instead of a place at university. The Times
- Oily fish hope in fight against child autism. The Scotsman