To increase participation in higher education, universities must be flexible.(OPEN EYE) From: The Independent (London, England) | Date: September 5, 2006 | COPYRIGHT 2006 Independent News & Media PLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Byline: WILL SWANN Director, Students, The Open University

If you are involved in Scottish higher education, you might wonder what all the fuss was about. Over the summer Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Education, was reported to be "quietly distancing himself" from the target of 50 per cent participation in higher education by 2010. The Government had already toned down expectations with talk of "working towards" the target. The percentage of 17- to 30-year-olds entering higher education in England has been resolutely stuck at 42 or 43 per cent for the past five ...