Estelle Morris, the education and skills secretary, has told Britain's universities that they must attract more working-class students.

Telling higher education chiefs that the low number of working class students was "indefensible", she went on to argue that: "Universities are not a birthright for the middle classes. None of us can defend the position where five times as many young people from professional backgrounds enter higher education compared with those from unskilled and manual backgrounds - 73-74 per cent compared with 13-14 per cent - and when that gap has not narrowed in recent time."

Setting out the government's five priorities for higher education she said her main target was to see 50 per cent of the population having been in higher education by the age of 30. Maintaining research levels, which bring in lucrative funding for the sector, forging closer links with industry, improving management and maintaining standards were also key priorities, she said.

Forum Response: Universities UK

Professor Roderick Floud, president of Universities UK told ePolitix.com: "Universities will be keen to highlight their successes and identify new ways of working in a wide-ranging review of the key issues facing higher education.

"We will be very pleased to engage in a new dialogue with the government. The sector has been very successful in reaching out to schools, communities and industry in recent years; we are keen to share your knowledge on these issues with the minister.

"Universities are keen to play their part in raising aspiration amongst young people and those already in work to consider higher education as an option. We are pleased that the minister recognises this must be a partnership between universities, schools and industry."

Forum Response: Association of University Teachers

Paul Cottrell, acting general secretary of the Association of University Teachers, told ePolitix.com: "We welcome the renewed commitment by the secretary of state for education to widen participation in universities to 50 per cent of young people.

"Lack of co-ordination between schools, colleges and universities remains a significant barrier to many young people entering higher education. While nearly three quarters of middle class children go on to university the figure for students from unskilled family backgrounds is only 13 per cent.

"Lecturers and university teachers are committed to seeing all young people fulfil their potential in higher education. Our universities have reached middle class saturation point and the only way that the 50 per cent target will be met is through breaking down elitism and removing barriers to entry. Even if the government reforms the system of student financial support it will be difficult to meet the 50 per cent target unless there is real investment in pastoral support and university staff.

"The staff:student ratio has doubled in the last two decades and many university staff are considering leaving the profession due to low morale and excessive bureaucracy. Universities need to free lecturers up to teach and provide students with advice and support."

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Andy Garner, executive committee member of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers told ePolitix.com: "Estelle Morris dreams of diversification and enlargement in Higher Education. Good.""How does she imagine that her vision of half the student-age population going into Higher Education will be fulfilled? Will they want to forgo paid employment in order to build up huge loan debts? Student debt prevents the closure of the gap between those from middle class backgrounds and those from the unskilled and manual sections of the community. Does Ms Morris's vision take a holistic view of education for the less academic from GCSE through vocational A Level to vocational degree level?"We all share Estelle's quest for the stars, but some of us recognise empty rhetoric for what it is. This dream needs more substance. These questions need answers."

Forum Response: NATFHE - The University and College Lecturers' Union

NATFHE general secretary, Paul Mackney, told ePolitix.com: "Estelle Morris doesn't mention the crux of the problem for higher education which is a lack of funding. Whilst we welcome any attention to the sector's problems, any new review must be backed with cash as the Dearing and Bett reviews have already confirmed. We wholeheartedly support the government's pledge to increase the numbers of poorer students in higher education but this cannot and must not be done on the cheap.

"Young people with no family history of higher education or those coming into the system without traditional qualifications often need extra support. The objective is not just to get working-class students in but to support them while they achieve, which means universities must abandon personnel practices which result in so many staff being employed on casual or temporary contracts, unable to give students the pastoral support they need.

"The post-1992 universities - ex-polytechnics - are in an excellent position to undertake research that is more relevant to the needs of industry and the local economy but they currently receive less than 10 per cent of all government research funds. We would urge the government to review this situation."