雅思阅读材料：Law could stop student fees of 9,000 pound

　　这篇雅思阅读材料的主要内容是介绍了英国9000英镑学费的问题。如果英国英格兰大部分的机构都把所收到的学费集中在上层社会，那么这些学校可能面临着当局用法律来阻止他们向学生收取这一年9000英镑的学费。这是怎么回事呢?

　　Universities in England could face a change in the law to stop some of them from charging students ￡9,000 a year if too many institutions are clustering their charges at the upper end.

　　Ministers say that the maximum fee should only apply in exceptional circumstances and universities do not need to treble their fees to offset funding cuts.

　　The universities minister, David Willetts, said that institutions with the most ambitious aims in widening access would be most justified in charging high fees. There is obviously the criterion that we can use at the moment, how ambitious their access proposals are. The closer the price gets to ￡9,000, the more we demand of the access proposals. If it gets to the stage of needing to legislate, we could introduce other criteria as well. This is now speculation, but you could look at how many students applications you had at that kind of price.

　　This may mean that universities which already have a broad social mix typically, the newer universities could be curbed from charging high fees. However, Willetts said that universities tackling problems such as high drop-out rates could also justify higher fees.

　　Some universities do well on applications from poorer neighbourhoods, but dont do well on retention its more of a challenge to retain if youre dealing with students from poorer backgrounds. They might say our drop-out rate is too high. Other universities might focus on disabled students. Some ethnic groups have a representation issue that is independent of social class, he said.

　　He said that high fees could lead to further cuts to the higher educationbudget. If they all charge ￡9,000, one consequence could be, as the student loan bill rises, off-setting savings elsewhere in the HE budget might be a consequence.

　　Universities face a cut of nearly ￡1bn in the next academic year, and argue that they need to charge ￡7,000-￡8,000 to replace the loss of state funding.

　　In guidance published on Thursday, ministers say: If the sector as a whole appeared to be clustering their charges at the upper end of what is legally possible, and thereby increasing the pressure on public funds, we will have to reconsider what powers are available, including changes to legislation, to ensure there is differentiation in charges. We intend to keep this under very close review for 2012/13.

　　This week it emerged that Oxford and Cambridge plan to charge ￡9,000 a year. Students begin to repay the fees when they have graduated and earn ￡21,000 or more.

　　In the guidance, universities are encouraged to make lower offers to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ministers say: The government believes this is a valid and appropriate way for institutions to broaden access while maintaining excellence, so long as individuals are considered on their merits.

　　The proposal was criticised by Graham Stuart, Tory chairman of the education select committee, who said: Any university admissions policy that focuses on factors other than the merit of the student is misguided. Universities are perfectly capable of selecting students who they think will do best in their unique educational setting.

　　Penalising universities for refusing to drop their standards is shameful. These policies are a continuation of the last governments wrongheaded proposals. We need to improve the quality of schooling, not dumb down the entry requirements for universities.

　　Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, said : Our universities often take into account any particular barriers the candidate may have faced during their education such as spending time in care; academic qualifications are considered in a broader context. But admission to university is and should be based on merit, and any decisions about admissions must also respect the autonomy of institutions and maintain high academic standards.

　　The guidance is issued in a letter from Willetts and the business secretary, Vince Cable, to the director of the watchdog Office for Fair Access , Sir Martin Harris.

　　Commenting on the letter, Harris said: I particularly welcome the emphasis on collaborative working between universities and the explicit endorsement of the use of contextual data as a way of ensuring that bright children from disadvantaged backgrounds have the same opportunities as their more advantaged peers.

　　The watchdog was set up in 2004 to ensure universities give disadvantaged teenagers a fair chance of winning a place. Its role will be beefed up and it will now ensure that universities make real and measurable progress towards their goals of fair access, the government said. Offa currently has four staff assisting its director.

　　In future, universities will draw up plans of how they intend to widen access to disadvantaged candidates and Offa will then decide whether to approve them. It will check their progress every year rather than every five years, as it has up until now. Universities will face penalties if they are not fulfilling their access goals.

　　Labours higher education spokesman Gareth Thomas said: With so few staff and no new powers for OFFA, and so many from less well off families not getting any extra help with high tuition fees todays announcements will leave a bitter taste for many of those wanting to fulfil their ambition of going to university but worried by the prospect of very high student debt

　　Trebling tuition fees after cutting university teaching grants by an unprecedented 80% is unfair, wasnt necessary and is unlikely to be sustainable.