THE revelation this week that the University of South Wales' proposed London campus was shelved after no students signed up for courses there sums up everything that is wrong with the university system in this country.


Universities are now businesses first and foremost.


You only have to look at the language used by USW in its defence of the London venture.


Phrases like 'prudent decision' and 'changes in market conditions' say everything you need to know.


Places that should be seats of learning enabling our brightest and best young people to better themselves, irrespective of their social background, are now little more than money-making operations.


There is, of course, the added element in the USW story that something like £300,000 has been blown on the London failure while the university is closing Caerleon campus and is in consultation over the futures of around 90 members of staff.


Such a scenario is manna from heaven for those opposed to Caerleon's closure.


The fact is the money spent on the London fiasco would not have saved the Caerleon campus. That ship has sailed.


And much as those leading the 'save Caerleon' campaign have criticised me for not getting behind their crusade, the reality is I have a vested interest in the campus remaining open because it is where one of my sons is studying to be a primary school teacher.


But I am far more interested in ensuring the campus site does not become another bland housing estate than I am in supporting a fight that cannot be won, much as I might admire the principles behind it.


I simply reiterate my belief that the site should primarily retain an education and community use, and that is the perfect place for a regenerated secondary school for Caerleon.


But back to the state of the university sector in the UK, because that is the real story behind what is happening at USW and other similar organisations up and down the country.


A series of flawed decisions from successive governments, both Conservative and Labour, have led us to where we are today, where money matters more than education.


A series of ministers, all of whom had the benefit of free university education, have created a system in which (with the exception of the elite universities) the popularity of courses matters more than their content, and which churns out graduates galore, most of whom are burdened by outrageous levels of debt.


Labour's 1990s target of getting 50 per cent of young people into university was perhaps the most flawed of all education policies pursued by governments over the last 30 years.


It could not be paid for, it ignored the need for vocational education and apprenticeships, and it drove down standards and devalued degrees.


I am not suggesting that young people should not be able to attain a university education. They should.


And they should be able to do so no matter their background or wealth.


But university should be the absolute peak of education to which those with the brightest minds aspire. The system should produce the very best candidates for employers to ensure our economy is driven by innovation and expertise.


That is not being elitist. It is a simple recognition that university is not the right direction for everyone, and nor should it be.


Vocational courses and apprenticeships are just as important and were undervalued by successive governments for too long.


Such courses are not second best.


There are too many universities in this country all scrabbling for the same pot of money.


That's why organisations like USW end up pouring cash down the drain chasing cheques from foreign students.


Higher education in this country needs a radical overhaul but it will not happen while money remains more important than academic quality.