LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
University Grants
Sia,—May I draw the attention of your readers to the proposed civil estimates on education and the deleterious effects arising from the suggested decrease in expenditure on university awards ? The Barlow Report, the University Grants Committee and the universities them- selves, have all urged the need for a university population'f between 80,000 and 90,000. With awards under the further education and training scheme no longer available to persons leaving the Forces, not even the Government working party's recommendations for 2,000 State scholarships, 2,000 supplemented open awards, 2,000 awards to Colonial students, 7,000 awards from local education authorities and 5.000 privately financed students are likely to be maintained. Even with this annual intake of 18,000 studentsOve are likely to face a drop in the university population, especially in view of the fact that 5,000 privately financed students are unlikely to be forthcoming. The Education estimates for 1951/52 shOw a decrease in Ministry of Education expenditure on awards of £3,713,260, which is offset to some extent by increases in Local Education Authority awards, but still shows en overall decrease exceeding £2,000,000 compared with last year's' expenditure. Even on the most general estimates this can only result in a drop of at least 3,000 grant-aided students in the number within the universities for the session 1951/52.
Furthermore, the figure of 7,000 Local Education Authority awards is based on the assumption that L.E.A.s will award grants to all students accepted by a university, which would place the onus for maintaining the level of the university population solely upon the academic authori- ties. Further, it is obvious that many L.E.A.s either have not the will or the means to implement this policy, and it may, therefore, become necessary to give special Treasury aid at once if L.E.A.s are to replace the F.E.T. scheme. Our aim in writing to you is to enlist the support of your readers for the efforts of the students of this country in prevent- ing a continued serious decrease in the number of students attending
universities.—Yours faithfully, • E. BOURNE, Secretary. Union Society, Queen Mary College (University of London), Mile End Road, E.1.
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