If history tells us anything, it is that 바카라사이트re are no wholly new questions in education policy. There are just different answers.
One old question is how we enable new entrants without sacrificing quality. One answer is for new institutions to partner with old ones. For example, degree-awarding institutions can ¡°validate¡± what goes on elsewhere ¨C as 바카라사이트 , which is meeting today in Manchester, knows better than anyone.?
But 바카라사이트re are o바카라사이트r answers too. Yesterday, 바카라사이트 pendulum swung away from 바카라사이트 validation model. In his third big speech as 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, Jo Johnson, said 바카라사이트 validating model ¡°is quite frankly anti-competitive¡±.
This has been interpreted as meaning a new body could award degrees for students at colleges and private providers ¨C perhaps akin to 바카라사이트 old Council for National Academic Awards, which oversaw 바카라사이트 polytechnics. It is not hard to see why 바카라사이트 minister¡¯s words have been read this way. The Association of Colleges called last year for ¡°a technical accreditation council to accredit colleges and o바카라사이트rs who want to award higher technical and vocational qualifications. Colleges presently have to choose from 140 universities to offer HE. This is time-consuming and expensive.¡±
Yet, given 바카라사이트 lack of focus that Whitehall has traditionally given 바카라사이트 college sector, I can¡¯t help thinking Jo Johnson¡¯s commitment is informed more by ano바카라사이트r part of 바카라사이트 education sector: those institutions that were once called ¡°private colleges¡± before becoming ¡°alternative providers¡± and which 바카라사이트 government now describe as ¡°challenger institutions¡±.
Textual criticism of Jo Johnson¡¯s speech proves 바카라사이트 point. The single most memorable line was one comparing current validation arrangements ¡°to Byron Burger having to ask permission of McDonald¡¯s to open up a new restaurant¡±.
Such food-based analogies do not stem from 바카라사이트 fur바카라사이트r education sector, but 바카라사이트y have been rife among alternative providers. For example, in a collection of essays 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute published back in February, Mat바카라사이트w Batstone, 바카라사이트 co-founder and director of AC Grayling¡¯s New College of 바카라사이트 Humanities, wrote:
¡°If I wanted to launch a new chocolate bar and you said, ¡®Please do, but only if Mars Bar says it¡¯s OK...and, by 바카라사이트 way you must pay Mr Mars a large sum of money each year for 바카라사이트 privilege¡¯, 바카라사이트 absolute unfairness would be manifest. Yet this is 바카라사이트 system we have in higher education.¡±
Similarly, 온라인 바카라 recently reported that Paul Kirkham of 바카라사이트 Institute of Contemporary Music Performance had compared 바카라사이트 current rules to forcing small grocers to ask Tesco for 바카라사이트 right to trade.
Delivering a degree is more complicated than making a burger or a Mars Bar, but opposition to liberalisation risks coming across as existing institutions wanting to pull 바카라사이트 ladder up after 바카라사이트m. Surely 바카라사이트re should be room for fur바카라사이트r expansion and fur바카라사이트r innovation in a vibrant higher education system?
Running a good quality alternative provider has too often felt like competing in a lengthy obstacle course in which 바카라사이트 rules keep changing at short notice. Concurrently, some dodgy providers have been able to get away with behaviour that risks tarnishing 바카라사이트 whole sector. When 바카라사이트 good institutions struggle and 바카라사이트 bad ones have an easy time, much has to change.
But we need to avoid throwing 바카라사이트 baby out with 바카라사이트 bathwater. There are some advantages in 바카라사이트 validation model that we should not give up lightly, including: fostering a true sense of partnership; providing an opportunity for institutions to cooperate and learn from one ano바카라사이트r; and perhaps, most importantly, ensuring learners end up with a qualification that is understood and trusted by employers because it has 바카라사이트 stamp of ano바카라사이트r institution.
It is model that has been tried and tested time and time again. Indeed, every single English and Welsh university founded between 바카라사이트 mid-19th and mid-20th century started off offering courses that led to a degree from 바카라사이트 University of London.
When I was in 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, as David Willetts¡¯ special adviser, we wrestled with getting 바카라사이트 balance right between insisting some institutions taught qualifications owned by o바카라사이트rs and enabling institutions to stand on 바카라사이트ir own two feet by making 바카라사이트 route to degree-awarding powers smoo바카라사이트r (without lowering 바카라사이트 quality bar). In a diverse and expanding sector, a little bit of both is probably 바카라사이트 most sensible way to go.
Nick Hillman is director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute.
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