Middle-class parents should pay more to send children to university, says Lord Patten

Middle-class students should be prepared to pay higher university tuition fees, according to the chancellor of Oxford.Lord Patten said they could have no objection to paying more than the £3,000-a-year currently levied by most universities. He said it was a "mad world" in which affluent parents were prepared to pay thousands to send children to private school but not get them through higher education.Lord Patten, former governor of Hong Kong, said the Government had to raise the "intolerable" existing cap - in place since 2006 - to allow universities to compete with those in the United States.The comments will increase pressure on the Government to increase fees when it reviews existing levels next year.The National Union of Students recently warned that graduates face average debts of £37,000 if fees rise significantly