A STUDENT who took legal action over her substandard university education has won an unprecedented £30,000 compensation for future loss of earnings. Educationists believe the award could prompt thousands of other claims by university students who are unhappy about poor teaching standards.
The woman, who received legal aid for her action, sued her college for breach of contract after she was forced to abandon her studies because of what she claimed was poor supervision and teaching. She had wanted to become a social worker but claimed that, as a result of the debacle, she had been forced to give up her ambition. "The course meant everything to her. She really wanted to get qualified. She was devastated when she wasn't able to," said a colleague.
The mature student, who went back into education in order to become a social worker after working as a minicab driver, claimed she was not offered a "proper programme of study" by a college affiliated to a London university. She alleged that the college failed to give her a real chance of improving her work prospects. Tutors took weeks to mark essays and failed to turn up for interviews.
The out-of-court settlement coincides with increasing criticism of standards at universities, where the number of students has risen by 900,000 in the past decade to 1.8 million. With a tougher inspection system that identifies poor-performing universities, students are being armed with the hard information they need to take action.
The commercial pressures in education are growing as students who are required to pay tuition fees and take out loans believe they have a right to hold universities and colleges to account over the quality of teaching. There is particular concern among standards watchdogs over the quality of courses offered by colleges which are validated by nearby universities.
Two other students have also won their cases after failing to finish the same university course. A decision on damages is due on their cases in August. There are believed to be dozens of similar cases that are already pending against British universities.
A spokeswoman for the university defended the course: "It has been subject to very careful evaluation of its academic standards and teaching quality and the university is satisfied it meets the standards required." The college said: The parties have formally agreed that the situation is to remain confidential." Neither the student nor her lawyer would comment on the settlement.