Michael Fabricant has welcomed the initiative which would scrap university
tuition fees and focus universities into providing more appropriate courses.
"Over the last couple of years, I have received many hundreds of letters
from constituents and students facing the real hardship of university fees.
Many have said that it has deterred them from going to university at all",
says Michael Fabricant. "On the other hand, I have been dismayed at the
number of students studying for degrees such as media studies expecting to
get into a broadcasting career, only to find that their three years of study
has not provided a passport to a future profession in TV. All my prior
experience in the broadcasting business points to this too.

"Although the Government has provided loans schemes to students, it has
become very clear that many do not wish to get into debt – particularly
able students from poorer families. I am delighted that the Conservatives
have finally bitten the bullet and have decided to abolish tuition fees and
at the same time restructure higher education in England and Wales. There
are many courses for which a one or two year Diploma is far more appropriate
than a 3 or 4 year Bachelor’s degree.

"And whether it is politically correct or not to admit it, the sheer volume
and variation of quality of these degrees has downgraded all Bachelor’s
degrees in the eyes of many employers and overseas academics. That is a
shame as we have some of the finest universities in the world here in the
United Kingdom" adds Michael Fabricant.