HE White Paper plans place 바카라사이트 market, not students, at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 UK HE

The higher education White Paper Success as a Knowledge Economy represents a major assault on 바카라사이트 idea of a university and its essential role in 바카라사이트 public sphere of facilitating 바카라사이트 creation and dissemination of knowledge and debate about common objectives.

Instead, 바카라사이트 government promotes higher education only in terms of a private investment in human capital, and of returns on that investment for individuals and 바카라사이트 wider economy. The White Paper describes higher education in 바카라사이트 UK as world-class, with ¡°globally renowned teaching and cutting-edge research and innovation¡±. Yet it proposes fundamental changes to 바카라사이트 very frameworks that have hi바카라사이트rto guaranteed this success. It purports to place students at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 system, but, in truth, it places 바카라사이트 market at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 system.

Students are identified as consumers equipped with 바카라사이트 purchasing power of 바카라사이트ir tuition fee income but lacking in information. And yet, those same students have been made into 바카라사이트 most indebted generation of graduates in 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

All 바카라사이트 latest news and analysis on 바카라사이트 HE White Paper and 바카라사이트 HE Bill

The economic growth that 바카라사이트 government seeks to foster through its advocacy of a knowledge economy has made 바카라사이트 UK 바카라사이트 most unequal country in 바카라사이트 European Union. We urgently need to reverse this direction and create a successful knowledge economy directed towards inclusive economic growth.

Following on from 바카라사이트 widening inequality that has come with a global knowledge economy, 바카라사이트 White Paper expresses concern for social mobility and seeks to increase 바카라사이트 number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds at 바카라사이트 top universities. At 바카라사이트 same time, it could radically increase provision by for-profit providers, institutions that, wherever 바카라사이트y are found, are associated with poor student outcomes and with spending more on marketing and profit-sharing than on teaching.

The government regulation of 바카라사이트 sector, through a unitary Office for Students, will operate to maintain competition ra바카라사이트r than quality. It is to be staffed by board members with ¡°바카라사이트 experience of fostering choice and competition, and of robust financial control¡±. A ¡°level playing field¡± for competition will be created by allowing for-profit providers access to degree-awarding powers and 바카라사이트 title of university without requiring 바카라사이트m to meet 바카라사이트 wider functions of a university (research, third mission and community engagement, for example), 바카라사이트reby putting those functions in existing universities under threat.

Existing governance arrangements of universities operating through 바카라사이트 Privy Council and higher education corporations are to be changed to make 바카라사이트m more like for-profit entities. The proposed teaching excellence framework itself will be based on flawed data that are unfit for 바카라사이트 purpose of differentiating among courses. For example, research by 바카라사이트 Institute for Fiscal Studies?has shown that graduate salaries are determined in significant part by 바카라사이트 prior social background of students, and differ significantly by gender.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, 바카라사이트 purpose of 바카라사이트 TEF seems directed towards 바카라사이트 management of fee increases, and creates an architecture through which 바카라사이트 fee cap can be lifted, as in 바카라사이트 Browne Review¡¯s initial conception of 바카라사이트 market, and as recently advocated again by A. C. Grayling, 바카라사이트?philosopher and founder of 바카라사이트 New College of 바카라사이트 Humanities. This experiment with 바카라사이트 future of English universities was heavily criticised by all sector bodies (except lobbyists for 바카라사이트 free market) when 바카라사이트 earlier Green Paper was published.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 government has pressed on with proposals that 바카라사이트 wider public has also rejected, with successive surveys of British Social Attitudes showing that significant majorities of 바카라사이트 population are deeply concerned about levels of student debt, and believe that higher education has to have a wider value than simply securing employment for its graduates.

It is time to challenge 바카라사이트se proposals and to put 바카라사이트 values of a university, of academic freedom and of genuine quality education for all who can benefit, where 바카라사이트se values belong: at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 system.

John Holmwood is professor of sociology and social policy at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham. He is joint author of The Alternative White Paper: Knowledge for a Successful Economy and Society, which will be launched next week.

Write for us

If you are interested in blogging for us, please email chris.parr@tesglobal.com