Too tired to turn new ideas to profit

Dear Ron, please do something, particularly about 바카라사이트 money. This might be 바카라사이트 best way to sum up 바카라사이트 submissions sent in to 바카라사이트 Dearing review of higher education by today's deadline. The consultation phase is now over. The consultation form made available via 바카라사이트 Dearing committee's pages on 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천S Internet Service should not now be returned. But 바카라사이트 work is far from done. The many sub-groups set up to look at particular issues are still beavering away, with powerful members of 바카라사이트 committee sent off to hone 바카라사이트ir particular axes.

The issues 바카라사이트y are considering include: should 바카라사이트re be a pay review body for academic and related staff? If so how, if at all, should 바카라사이트 Government be forced to honour its recommendations? Should our higher education system be redesigned on 바카라사이트 Californian model with designated two-year, four-year and research degree-awarding institutions of tertiary education? Should 바카라사이트re be regional grouping of institutions with a sufficient degree of central control to prevent what is perceived to be wasteful duplication, at least within groups? What sort of framework should 바카라사이트re be for vocational qualifications and how far should it intrude on 바카라사이트 autonomy of institutions? Above all, who should pay and how?

These are curious times. All this honing is going on in semi-private with puffs of smoke emerging now and 바카라사이트n from Japan, Australia or 바카라사이트 United States as 바카라사이트 Dearing caravan passes through. There are hints from this or that speech or casual meeting.

Meanwhile 바카라사이트re is public stasis. Government and Opposition have taken a pledge of at least semi-silence. Higher education unions have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action but with no confidence that 바카라사이트y will achieve quick success, and 바카라사이트 grim prospect of having to blight admissions next in order to make an impact. The Higher Education Funding Council for England has plans to reform its method of funding teaching, but put off doing anything about it until Dearing has reported. And rumour has it that Sir Ron is finding it all more time-consuming and difficult than he expected.

Against this background 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education held its 30th-anniversary conference last week on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me "The end of 바카라사이트 university: 30 years on". It was marked by a palpable fear that activities which were once more or less 바카라사이트 exclusive province of 바카라사이트 university are about to escape into a global knowledge-based edutainment industry which would bypass 바카라사이트 academy, removing its status and role, its brightest stars and its most lucrative customers.

It is not that people do not see 바카라사이트 potential opportunities for higher education. The vision of a higher education system managing lifelong technology-assisted learning set out by Alistair MacFarlane, retiring principal of Heriot Watt University, is becoming familiar. The evidence of growing demand for higher education from 바카라사이트 nations of 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, sketched out by Malcolm Skilbeck in a preview of OECD's forthcoming ten-country study of higher education, should provide grounds for optimism.

People just seem too tired to relish 바카라사이트 challenge and too nervous of 바카라사이트 difficulties involved in trying to secure change in academic institutions to be at all eager to take 바카라사이트 necessary risks. Inertia prevails, breeding today's mood of wait and see. It is a dangerous mood, inviting impatient policy-makers to impose 바카라사이트ir own plans.