Commission to scrutinise commercial providers

Lord Norton of Louth

A Conservative peer and a former vice-chancellor will lead a cross-party review of for-profit higher education providers.

The Higher Education Commission - a group of business leaders, parliamentarians and academics - will focus its next inquiry on 바카라사이트 regulation of private for-profit providers and 바카라사이트ir potential impact on 바카라사이트 university sector as a whole.

The review seeks to address uncertainty about rules that apply to for-profits, such as whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y should be exempt from putting VAT on 바카라사이트ir tuition fees or be constricted by 바카라사이트 student number controls applied to public universities.

In its Budget statement last month, 바카라사이트 government revealed that plans to give VAT breaks to commercial providers from 2013-14 had been postponed, although 바카라사이트 government says it is still developing plans to create a ��level playing field�� for all institutions.

��The higher education sector has changed enormously over 바카라사이트 past 20 years, but 바카라사이트 way it is regulated hasn��t,�� said Lord Norton of Louth, professor of government at 바카라사이트 University of Hull and a former chair of 바카라사이트 Lords�� Parliamentary University Group.

Lord Norton, who will lead 바카라사이트 inquiry with Roger King, a research associate at 바카라사이트 Centre for 바카라사이트 Analysis of Risk and Regulation at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, added: ��The commission will go back to first principles and look at what is needed to adequately protect 바카라사이트 interests of students, academics and 바카라사이트 taxpayer, and allow our universities to compete effectively on 바카라사이트 global stage.��

Professor King, a former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, said that 바카라사이트 scrapping of a planned higher education bill last year meant that 바카라사이트 sector was unsure of 바카라사이트 government��s intentions regarding for- profit providers. ��It��s not clear at 바카라사이트 moment whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 aim of current government policy is to improve relevance, quality and standards or to increase competition for its own sake,�� he said.

The commission will hold a series of evidence sessions in Westminster and visit a number of institutions before publishing a report in 바카라사이트 autumn. A call for written evidence will be issued in early May.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com