The Council of Europe finds HE guilty of inequality, says Olga Wojtas. Higher education in Europe is guilty of reflecting and reinforcing inequalities in society, and should instead itself become a catalyst for change by widening opportunities for under-represented groups.

This radical viewpoint, the conclusion of a four-year Council of Europe project on ÖйúAƬ, won broad backing from academics and policy-makers at a conference in Parma University in Italy last week.

The project's recommendations, which included calls for legislation outlawing discrimination in ÖйúAƬ, funding based on an institution's equality record, and state-wide monitoring of student progress, will inevitably face some watering down before going to ministers. But its thinking is now set to percolate throughout the council's 39 member states in eastern, western and central Europe.

James Wimberley, head of the council's ÖйúAƬ section, said he was heartened by the lack of heavyweight opposition. "Accepting even a vague commitment to radical ideas is not a trivial thing," he said. "Is it legitimate for ÖйúAƬ institutions to take public funds and apply a purely meritocratic admissions procedure without taking account of the social impact? I don't think you can do that any more."

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While the European Union and Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development focus on ÖйúAƬ as a key factor in economic growth, the Council of Europe is principally concerned with human rights.

Wolfgang Monikes, who chairs the counci's ÖйúAƬ and research committee said: "Education is one of the most important human rights in terms of personal enrichment, and the economy is not the only way one can consider the development of society."

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But economic factors are not being ignored: the chair of the project group, Nizam Mohammed, London University's entrance requirements officer, said economic well-being arguably depended on wider access. There is evidence that productivity grows faster, and life expectancy is greater, in countries without a large gap between rich and poor.

The project's concern with wider access may seem unnecessary at a time when ÖйúAƬ across Europe appears to be shifting from an elite to a mass system. But Mr Mohammed warned that expansion has taken place in purely numerical terms.

"What we have is more of the same. Between 70 and 80 per cent of students come from the managerial and professional classes, and only about 10 per cent from skilled worker backgrounds."

The project itself carried out pioneering research into under-represented groups in 16 countries. It found there was often little consciousness that such groups existed, and hence no solid data. But people with disabilities, for example, were clearly under-represented, often allegedly because of lack of finance, but in fact because of a culture of stigmatisation.

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David Crosier, administrative assistant in the Council of Europe's ÖйúAƬ section, said monitoring was hampered by students in some countries concealing their disabilities out of fear.

While female students now tend to outnumber males, this is not across all disciplines, but is strongly linked to economic status. For example, medicine is perceived as a "feminine" subject in countries where doctors are generally poorly paid, such as Bulgaria, and predominantly a male preserve where doctors are better paid.

There are also access problems for many ethnic minorities, but Robert Cormack, pro vice chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast, said social class was perhaps the most pernicious and widespread basis of under-representation. The Council of Europe has been examining the example of Northern Ireland's fair employment legislation.

"Our experience in Northern Ireland is that voluntary approaches do not work effectively, and legislation is required," Professor Cormack said.

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Guidance and counselling were seen as playing a crucial role, not only in making under-represented groups aware of their potential, but also in supporting students throughout their academic course.

Luigi Berlinguer, Italy's education minister, pointed out that while there had been a huge increase in the number of students entering Italian ÖйúAƬ, there was a 70 per cent dropout rate.

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"The right to access is there, but not the right to graduate. We must find out why there are so many intelligent people who can't be put at the country's disposal," he said. He blamed a lack of guidance.