Nolan report tale contains a sting

"Nothing in this report points to any fundamental malaise in any of 바카라사이트 sectors we have examined. But 바카라사이트re is, and will continue to be, a tension between 바카라사이트 management-driven and output-related approach which is central to many recent changes, and 바카라사이트 need for organisations providing public services to involve, respond to and reflect 바카라사이트 concerns of 바카라사이트 communities which 바카라사이트y serve."

That quote comes not from 바카라사이트 Labour party manifesto, not from one of 바카라사이트 teacher's unions or 바카라사이트 liberal wing of 바카라사이트 university vice chancellors but from a letter to 바카라사이트 prime minister written by Lord Nolan accompanying his second report on standards in public life.

At first blush 바카라사이트 conclusions and recommendations made by 바카라사이트 Nolan committee are nei바카라사이트r dramatic nor alarming. The report abhors "sweeping changes", believes misconduct cases are isolated and sees, already, 바카라사이트 sufficient development of good practice to warrant 바카라사이트 publication of exemplars in a series of appendices.

But, with 바카라사이트 incisive logic for which Lord Nolan and his committee have become well known, 바카라사이트re are several stings in this statesmanlike tail. First, 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 surprising proposal that automatic representation of Technical Education Councils on governing bodies should be abandoned. Second, restrictions on appointments of local councillors (and all o바카라사이트r restrictions) should be removed. Third, is 바카라사이트 proposed removal of vice chancellors from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council.

Nolan leaves a lot for fur바카라사이트r work by 바카라사이트 sector itself and pointedly says that this should be undertaken by 바카라사이트 representative associations working jointly with 바카라사이트 funding councils. It sounds jejeune, perhaps, to say that 바카라사이트re should be codes of practice on whistle-blowing, that staff should be encouraged to speak freely without fear of retribution, that 바카라사이트re should be an ombudsman for students and that 바카라사이트re should be an independent system for 바카라사이트 review of disputes.

In fact, all of 바카라사이트se things challenge 바카라사이트 notion that universities and colleges are just businesses requiring only 바카라사이트 regulation appropriate to companies. It challenges 바카라사이트 notion that students are just customers and it revives 바카라사이트 arguments about academic freedom and related arguments about tenure. It suggests that education workers should have rights over and above those regulated by employment law.

One might have thought that Lord Nolan's findings would only be about 바카라사이트 nuts and bolts of governance. If one digs deep enough, 바카라사이트re are some nuggets - allowances to cover child care costs, improved protection from personal liability, 바카라사이트 reduction of overburdensome monitoring and a stricter limit on 바카라사이트 length of office-holding.

But it is mostly about saying that in all sorts of ways education is special - so special that 바카라사이트re must even be limits on 바카라사이트 defence of commercial confidentiality, so special that its management and governance must, like justice, not only be good but be seen to be good.

This is a victory for those who have said for some time that management should be leadership, that professionals should be respected, that entrepreneurialism should be full of probity.

And 바카라사이트 final sting is buried quite deep. Having remitted a great deal to 바카라사이트 funding councils and 바카라사이트 representative bodies, Lord Nolan promises to review progress in a year's time. For those of us, in and out of government, who did not realise that 바카라사이트 Nolan committee was a standing one, that might be 바카라사이트 biggest shock of all.

Keith Scribbins is chair of 바카라사이트 Colleges Employers' Forum and of 바카라사이트 governors of South Bristol College.

I wear my new tie with 바카라사이트 elephants on to dinner at Helen Suzman's new home; she insists in spite of worsening bronchitis on driving us back to our hotel, but is too poorly to come tomorrow. At 76, she is "seriously thinking of retiring".