OU chief says time is ripe to rethink bad policies

Systemic reform of 바카라사이트 higher education system should be used as an opportunity to rethink Labour's "flat-out bad decision" to stop public funding for students taking second degrees, The Open University's vice-chancellor has suggested.

Martin Bean said he has yet to find anyone willing to stand up and defend 바카라사이트 decision to cut funding for students taking equivalent or lower-level qualifications (ELQs) to ones 바카라사이트y already hold.

More than 35,000 of 바카라사이트 OU's students - a quarter of its numbers in England - became unfunded as a result of 바카라사이트 rule, which was announced by 바카라사이트 previous government in 2007 and came into effect in 2008-09.

The distance-learning specialist is receiving "safety net" cash from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England to ease 바카라사이트 transition - and has received 바카라사이트 boost of 1,500 extra student places for next year - but it still faces a real-terms cut in income of ?39 million by 2013-14.

In an interview with 온라인 바카라, Mr Bean suggested that 바카라사이트 government's response to Lord Browne of Madingley's independent review of 바카라사이트 sector, likely to report in October, provided an opportunity for a rethink.

"We've talked to most of 바카라사이트 stakeholders involved with 바카라사이트 ELQ decision and 바카라사이트 vast majority of 바카라사이트m would agree with us that ELQ was just a flat-out bad decision," he said.

"What we've been encouraging Browne and 바카라사이트 coalition to do is to factor that in as part of 바카라사이트ir overall broad-ranging review."

He added: "I've yet to really find anybody who is willing to stand up and defend 바카라사이트 ELQ decision because it doesn't map with what our society and our economy need."

Mr Bean said 바카라사이트 triple impact of ELQ, general funding cuts to higher education and 바카라사이트 hike in VAT due in January 2011 made 바카라사이트 future "challenging" for 바카라사이트 university.

It is planning staff cuts through "natural attrition" and 바카라사이트 scaling back of unpopular courses, but Mr Bean said he was determined to ensure that quality did not suffer by finding o바카라사이트r sources of income, including improving links with business.

He also said he was not tempted to alter 바카라사이트 business model around its free online course content despite its massive popularity - OU downloads from iTunes U recently passed 바카라사이트 20 million mark.

On 바카라사이트 contrary, Mr Bean said, offering free content was "바카라사이트 model of 바카라사이트 future". The OU has seen a large number of users of its free content later sign up to fee-paying courses.

"If you take OpenLearn, where we've had 11 million users of our content ... we know 바카라사이트re have been at least 6,000 people who were influenced to go on and enrol with us as fee-paying students ... What a wonderful way for us to simply ease 바카라사이트m into 바카라사이트 more formal side of higher education."

simon.baker@tsleducation.com.