PM holds higher education summit

The Guardian reported on Friday that the prime minister will meet university leaders in Whitehall to discuss the coalition's long-awaited blueprint for higher education.

The meeting will be private and it will be hosted next Friday by the universities minister David Willetts.

The Guardian reports that "the agenda for the meeting is thought to be the government's white paper, which will outline reforms to higher education, and a discussion on how universities can contribute to the growth of the economy. Research Fortnight magazine claims universities have been unable to agree on any clear objectives for the meeting."

The white paper is expected to pave the way for many more private colleges to offer degree places. The government believes this will spark more competition in the sector and thus force universities to improve or be taken over. A similar approach can be seen in the government's approach to the introduction of private healthcare providers into the healthcare sector.

Gareth Thomas, Labour's shadow universities minister, said Cameron needed to "fundamentally rethink his decision to treble tuition fees and cut university funds by so much. The quality of higher education is at stake too from major cuts in investment funding for new research and teaching facilities and from an expansion of US-style unregulated private for-profit providers."

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