30 NOVEMBER 2002, Page 44

Media studies must stay

From Mr Jaldeep Katwala Sir: In your leading article (23 November), you argue for a free market in higher education but then entirely fail to get the point about media studies. In your utopian market-driven educational economy, the market would still have to provide media-studies courses because they are so popular. If you truly believe in freedom of choice, would you deny those teenagers who want to learn about the media the opportunity to do so? As for industry providing training for jobs, the best vocational media courses are accredited by the very industries that formerly provided the training in-house. Vocational universities are now providing practical, relevant and useful courses because industry cannot or will not.

Jaldeep Katwala

Channel 4 News producer, London WCl