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You report renewed interest in charging variable tuition fees depending on an assessment of the value of the subject being studied (¡°Would students swallow fees varying by subject?¡±, Analysis, 23 July). In a system where higher education is exposed to the bracing mechanisms of the market, however, more can surely be done. Why not give students a smart card that they can charge with credit? They can then decide which lectures and tutorials are worth paying for and which are not. Payment by results was a core idea of Gradgrindian education whose time has come again.

Keith Flett
London