Jane Devine: Students right to demand high quality

When my aunt’s pedigree dog entered into a clandestine relationship with a farm collie, my aunt was left with nice offspring she didn’t want and couldn’t sell for the type of fee they might have otherwise attracted had the sire been properly selected.

Picture: TSPL

The vet however told her not to give them away for free: “People care more about things they pay for,” she said.

Last week the Higher Education Policy Institute, in partnership with the consumer magazine Which? published a survey of students’ views of their university courses. One of the conclusions was that the percentage of students reporting that their course was poor value for money had almost doubled since tuition fees trebled in 2012.

While this may be due to a number of factors, including the level of funding of universities, there is a chance (and a strong inference in the discussions about this report) that an element of this dissatisfaction stems from the fact that because many students now pay fees, they care more about their courses – just like the vet said.

Obviously if a student, or their parents, or the bank, are about to shell out the average £8,500 per year on a university course, they are going to want to know that they are getting the best deal. They’re going to want to know that the lecturers and tutors are experienced, the course well structured and the facilities high quality.

But how far will this go? Will they also want some guaranteed comeback on their investment? Will the rector’s office after graduation begin to resemble Marks & Spencer customer services after Christmas with disgruntled students returning their unsatisfactory degrees as if they were ill-fitting knickers?

There is no doubt that the introduction and increase of fees are turning students into demanding consumers, but universities do not as yet seem geared up to meet their demands. Decent comparative information on the quality of courses is not easily available and it is hard for students to transfer to a different university taking course credits with them, never mind getting their money back.

The idea that paying makes students more demanding might mean that things would be different in Scotland where Scottish students don’t pay fees. Perhaps the study found that these students didn’t care about the quality of their course as much? Interestingly though, the UK-wide study made no specific comment on that.

That’s because, despite Scottish students in Scottish universities not paying fees, they still pay for their degree – all students do. Education is not and never has been free. Just as is isn’t free for our children to go to school, for us to drive on roads, see a GP or have our rubbish collected. We all pay for that and lots, lots more through taxation.

All students care about their courses because all students pay for their courses. They are right to expect and demand the highest quality: they all deserve that, especially those who pay twice.