Targeted fees

When Lord Browne and his colleagues are considering the appropriate level for student fees in the future, I hope they will take careful account of where the money goes ("Review 'will keep hike in fees off the agenda until after general election'?", 12 November).

Fee income to universities is almost irrelevant. Student learning is most likely to be improved by money that reaches the departments or schools that are doing the teaching. They can then give each student more time and support and, in my discipline of engineering, more equipment and materials. Perhaps I should be encouraged that two of the committee (Lord Browne himself and Julia King) are engineers and might consider this.

Peter Goodhew, University of Liverpool.