Plagiarism policy

Will the Minister for Higher Education ever take his head out of the sand? Bill Rammell's response to the increasing numbers of international students faced with plagiarism charges is wholly inadequate ("Foreign recruits no threat to quality", April 6).

As the author of the motion passed at National Union of Students' annual conference, I know full well that this problem is caused, albeit indirectly, by government policy. The lack of money in the system, even post top-up fees, forces institutions to look to other income streams.

And while I am sure that universities and colleges do not have purely economic motivations to increase international student numbers, the added money they pump into the system is definitely an incentive.

It is about time the Government took seriously its commitment to higher education in the UK and made sure that institutions offer what they promise in promotional literature - a comprehensive and fair education at what are, after all, some of the best institutions in the world.

Daryn McCombe
President and chair of trustees, King's College London Student Union