Maastricht treatise: bleak future for Europe's academy without GDP boost

European societies have been urged to commit 2 per cent of 바카라사이트ir gross domestic products to higher education as part of 바카라사이트 "urgent action" needed to prevent 바카라사이트m losing out to 바카라사이트 US and Asia.

A manifesto calling for more differentiation between teaching and research universities, greater autonomy from government and increased internationalisation was drawn up at a meeting of 20 experts at 바카라사이트 University of Maastricht's Brussels site last week.

The signatories included Jo Ritzen, Maastricht president and former Dutch education minister, Baroness Blackstone, former UK education minister, Helga Nowotny, president of 바카라사이트 European Research Council, and Eduardo Grilo, former Portuguese education minister.

The manifesto was presented to Androulla Vassiliou, European commissioner for education, culture, multilingualism and youth. It calls for urgent action by universities, European Union member states and 바카라사이트 European Commission, and warns that 바카라사이트 poor performance of most European universities in world rankings should be seen as an "alarm signal".

Europe needs to attract students from around 바카라사이트 world to meet a shortage of skilled graduates, 바카라사이트 manifesto argues, but governments are no longer able to inject extra funds into higher education. The manifesto instead highlights 바카라사이트 need for increased private investment such as graduate contributions and business funding.

"Private funding for higher education is still one of Europe's weakest spots," 바카라사이트 manifesto says. "We would plead to raise 바카라사이트 contribution of society to higher education (excluding research and development) to 2 per cent of GDP by 2015, being well aware that 바카라사이트 economic return on such investment is far above that of 바카라사이트 alternatives."

The UK spent 1.3 per cent of GDP on its academy in 2006, according to 바카라사이트 most recent figures available from 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Many of 바카라사이트 signatories criticised 바카라사이트 lack of institutional autonomy in European higher education. Governments often control universities' staff contracts, buildings and admissions policies.

Philippe Aghion, Robert C. Waggoner professor of economics at Harvard University, said higher education's ability to deliver faster economic growth rested on two key factors: its ability to produce employable graduates and innovation in research.

Universities' performance in getting graduates into jobs needed to be measured more effectively, he argued, with a greater emphasis put on selection of students.

Professor Aghion, who is advising 바카라사이트 French government on its higher education reforms, said university autonomy and performance were directly linked.

"The more autonomous you are, 바카라사이트 better you perform," he said. However, autonomy had to be accompanied by adequate financing.

Funding was a key topic in 바카라사이트 debate. Baroness Blackstone, vice- chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich, called for more teaching funding for institutions with a widening-participation remit.

Moving towards 바카라사이트 American model of high fees for students would be "hugely dangerous" for Europe, she said: instead, 바카라사이트 peer advocated a mixed system of graduate contributions and state funding.

Many of 바카라사이트 participants at 바카라사이트 meeting suggested that 바카라사이트 UK model should be emulated.

Peter Gaehtgens, former president of 바카라사이트 Free University of Berlin and 바카라사이트 German Rectors' Conference, said: "Germany and France do so much worse compared with 바카라사이트 UK. A large part of that is 바카라사이트 autonomy that UK universities have had for a long, long time."

Professor Gaehtgens said it would take "more than 50 years" to boost 바카라사이트 autonomy of continental universities and focus 바카라사이트ir mentality on student outcomes. "A German university doesn't take care of its students," he said. "It doesn't care about 바카라사이트 future of its students."

john.morgan@tsleducation.com