The best moment of my life, if memory does not fail me, was the day my parents dropped me off at university halls for the very first time. Mildly delirious at escaping from the 1950s (it was actually the late Seventies, but nobody had told my mother and father), I can still remember the thrill of watching the Austin Maxi’s exhaust pipe disappearing sedately around the corner. Over the wire at last!
But pity those who may never experience that epiphany. Yesterday’s bright idea, floated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is that there should be a lot less leaving home in the future. Under a “no-fee degrees” scheme, university students in England would be spared £3,225 for tuition if they opt to