Letter: Going Public

In a civilised society the provision of health and social care free at the point of use is essential, but the provision of education is just as important. The development of a society depends on education and research, increasing the knowledge of successive generations.

Before we even consider applying any charging scheme - and it must not dissuade anyone by being a debt-based scheme - we should look at the cost of delivery.

If graduates are to pay something back through taxation after graduating, it must be applied only when they are earning a very large income.

But examining the way that our higher educational institutions waste money might prove that we can maintain free education. A first step would be to publish all expenditure, including salaries, in the way that local authorities south of the Border are being compelled to do.

Since all institutions use automated data processing and already have websites, putting how they spend taxpayer's money online would be a simple matter. Also they could publish lecturers' teaching hours and details of papers produced from their research time.

It is public funds which run the higher education sector; if they are using it correctly then they should be happy to let the public see how well they use our tax.

BRUCE D SKIVINGTON

Pairc a Ghlib

Strath, Gairloch

Wester Ross