Degree inflation

This Labour government and its "all shall have prizes" attitude have all but destroyed the education system in England. The latest proof has come in the form of an email that the BBC have revealed, the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) e-mail, sent to computing and mathematics staff by that department's academic standards manager,

"calls for an increase in the number of first class and upper second degrees.

The e-mail, sent several months ago and now obtained by the BBC News website, reveals how staff have to consider more than the quality of students' work - and the tension between rigorous academic standards and universities' external ambitions.

Student satisfaction

"As a university we do not award as many Firsts and 2.1s as other comparable institutions so there is an understandable desire to increase the proportion of such awards," it says.

"Please bear this in mind when setting your second and final year assessments, especially the latter."

The e-mail goes on: "We have never received any external examiner criticism that our 'standards' are too low so there should be quite a lot of leeway available to us all when assessments are set."

The e-mail also includes a joke about boosting the student satisfaction rating. Earlier this year, staff at Kingston University were caught urging students to falsify their responses to improve the university's standing in league tables.

It says: "Please do not complain when all the BSc (Hons) mathematics students gain first class awards next summer. Now that really would increase our student satisfaction!""

Of course any criticism of the drop in standards at degree, 'A' level and GCSE standards will bring forth the response that "all students have worked very hard for their qualifications and only nasty Tories would quibble".