Simon Jenkins seems to have forgotten the purpose of higher education (As thousands more teenagers scramble for university places, I have to ask – why?, 14 August). It is not, primarily, for vocational study, nor is it something to rush through in two years. It is to provide a lifetime love of learning and to encourage different ways of thinking. The solution is not to “cut back”, as Jenkins suggests, but, if anything, to ensure that as many students as possible experience the magic of university life.
Emeritus Professor Gad Heuman
University of Warwick
• Zheng Zeguang should be applauded for reminding us how Britain and China joined forces to defeat fascism in the second world war (15 August). Let us hope that Britain will continue to work with the Chinese people to oppose genocidal, expansionist, totalitarian regimes wherever they might have taken root in the world since then.
Christopher Hughes
Professor emeritus of international relations, LSE
• In St Andrews, the problem of gulls (Report, 19 August) has become so bad that one food outlet, The Cheesy Toast Shack, will insure your toastie for a small extra charge and give you a second one if a gull flies away with the first.
Margaret Squires
St Andrews, Fife
• We’ve had their fish, now the gulls want our chips.
Andy Sharp
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
• Looking forward to when I can cash in my walk to the pub for a pint (These exercise apps reward steps with freebies – but which ones are worth the effort?, 16 August).
Noel Cullinane
Leeds
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