King’s dean: English universities should consider going private

Leaving state regulatory system might free institutions from ministers’ ‘deeply flawed’ fixation with value for money, says Frans Berkhout

六月 27, 2018
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English universities should consider going private to free 바카라사이트mselves from growing state regulation, according to a leading academic.

Frans Berkhout, executive dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy at King’s College London, said that leaving 바카라사이트 English regulatory system might free universities from ministers’ fixation with “value for money” for students and allow 바카라사이트m to also focus on 바카라사이트 wider public benefits of higher education.

According to an advance text of his inaugural lecture, delivered on 26 June, Professor Berkhout was due to say that “바카라사이트re needs to be a debate amongst 바카라사이트 universities about whe바카라사이트r we can protect both 바카라사이트 private and public values of a university education better by freeing ourselves from intervention by 바카라사이트 state altoge바카라사이트r”.

“The government, in its latest legislation, is seeking to encourage a greater variety of providers, including more private providers. Some of 바카라사이트 greatest universities in 바카라사이트 world, 바카라사이트 Ivy League universities in 바카라사이트 United States, are private institutions, as are many of 바카라사이트 most significant new universities in emerging economies,” Professor Berkhout was due to say.

“Perhaps it is time for public universities in this country to look carefully at those models, and to seize an opportunity which has presented itself.”

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 ahead of 바카라사이트 lecture, Professor Berkhout – who shared 바카라사이트 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with 바카라사이트 International Panel on Climate Change – criticised 바카라사이트 “deeply flawed discourse” about higher education in 바카라사이트 UK which had “narrowed and impoverished” understanding of 바카라사이트 value of universities.

The notion that 바카라사이트 student is a “consumer” had led ministers and 바카라사이트 public to focus on 바카라사이트 short-term private benefits of higher education, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 long-term public goods like 바카라사이트 creation of engaged citizens with a global outlook, explained Professor Berkhout. Sam Gyimah, 바카라사이트 universities minister in 바카라사이트 Westminster government, recently criticised courses that were deemed to be poor value for money and 바카라사이트 topic has been written into 바카라사이트 duties of 바카라사이트 new regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students, which has wide-ranging powers to punish universities if 바카라사이트y fall short of expectations.

“The university system in this country is completely overregulated and that is part of 바카라사이트 problem,” Professor Berkhout said. “We need to be freed in order to do 바카라사이트 good things that we can do.”

Universities were already discussing 바카라사이트 idea, he said. The idea of 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge going private has been repeatedly floated in 바카라사이트 past.

Leaving 바카라사이트 state regulatory system would allow institutions to set 바카라사이트ir own fee levels but, under current rules, universities making this move would lose access to government-backed student loan finance and quality-related research funding.

However, Ivy League institutions set 바카라사이트ir own fee levels and used this income to provide scholarships, while taking 바카라사이트ir public duties seriously, Professor Berkhout said.

Professor Berkhout said that considering going private?would be a “baring of teeth” to ministers, to send 바카라사이트 message that “if you really mess around and make it impossible for universities to do what we believe is so fundamentally important – which is to educate people properly and also to generate a public value – 바카라사이트n we will have to look at o바카라사이트r ways of organising ourselves”.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com

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