Jenny Randerson - Labour-Plaid's bigger is better mindset is not always right

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 29th Jun 2010

Commenting on the statement on the Higher Education Action Plan by the Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, containing a promise to radically cut the number of Welsh Universities, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Minister, Jenny Randerson AM said:

"The biggest effect of this long held plan by the Minister is the disappearance of most of our smaller HE institutions.

"While I fully accept the need for the sector to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, I do not believe that bigger is always better: neither in what they offer to students, nor in their international reputations. Often collaboration, not merger is the best route to international success.

"Just this month we have found out that UWIC, a relatively small university, has come up as the second most popular university in the world amongst international students in the International Student Barometer.

"The Minister is right to want to encourage more students from poorer backgrounds, but if they have no choice of institutions and courses in their local area, then he is also taking massive opportunity away from them.

"I am concerned that whatever the Minister says, this is about centralisation not democratisation."