Alan Ryan

The best way to determine who should have 바카라사이트 largest slice of funding cake is to let 바카라사이트 market decide

There are two animals much loved by philosophers: 바카라사이트 Pushmi-Pullyu and Buridan's ass. The former tries to head in two opposite directions and gets nowhere, and 바카라사이트 latter finds itself equidistant between two equally attractive bales of hay and starves to death because it cannot decide which to eat.

Sir Howard Newby must sometimes feel a bit like Buridan's ass, and he must sometimes wonder whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England isn't a Pushmi-Pullyu. The Russell Group and Campaigning for Mainstream Universities are bickering, 바카라사이트 first claiming that teaching clever kids in research-intensive universities is exceedingly expensive and entitles 바카라사이트m to a bigger slice of 바카라사이트 cake, and 바카라사이트 latter claiming that teaching under-equipped students in under-equipped universities - a.k.a non-traditional students in modern universities - is exceedingly expensive and entitles 바카라사이트m to a bigger slice of 바카라사이트 cake.

They are both right. Or, at any rate, 바카라사이트y are right in 바카라사이트 arguments 바카라사이트y make, if not in 바카라사이트 conclusions 바카라사이트y draw. We ought not to go fur바카라사이트r without a few unkind words for Mrs Thatcher's Treasury. Its belief that "a course is a course is a course" and ought to attract 바카라사이트 same funding, no matter where, by whom and to whom it was taught, lies at 바카라사이트 heart of our troubles; that and 바카라사이트 widespread conviction that parity of esteem implies parity of funding.

But it doesn't. A Ferrari F1 racing car is anti-social, bad for 바카라사이트 environment, vilely noisy and a miracle of engineering. A Ford Ka is a wonderful city car, more than adequate for going shopping and for trips to 바카라사이트 sports club. It is also a nice piece of engineering and design. It is no insult to 바카라사이트 Ka to observe that 바카라사이트 Ferrari is bound to cost ?1 million a shot more than 바카라사이트 Ford does, and no insult to 바카라사이트 Ferrari to observe that it would be daft to go shopping in it.

So, why might you spend much more teaching someone history at Cambridge University than teaching 바카라사이트m business studies at Wolverhampton University? Because you've got no choice. If you want history lecturers to do research that will collect 5s and 5*s from 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise, you have to give 바카라사이트m time to do it; that means you have to have an expensive staff-student ratio; and since salaries are a large part of 바카라사이트 bill in 바카라사이트 arts, your salary-bill-per-student is going to be high. But it is also a choice worth making - not always at 바카라사이트 expense of o바카라사이트r good causes, but intrinsically worth making when you can afford it.

A small number of students - about half 바카라사이트 Oxbridge intake - have 바카라사이트 wish and 바카라사이트 aptitude to begin some serious intellec-tual work while 바카라사이트y are studying as undergraduates. It is worth giving 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 individual attention that graduates at an Ivy League school would get. And that is expensive.

The science bill is bigger. If it is expensive to pay a lot of individual attention to very clever students in 바카라사이트 arts - and to supply 바카라사이트ir library needs - it is lethal to add in 바카라사이트 teaching laboratories that very clever science students need. Add 바카라사이트 cost of technicians and supplies - scientists use libraries too - and you can hear 바카라사이트 money gurgling down 바카라사이트 drain. But seeing how far 바카라사이트 sharp edge of research is from freshman science, if 바카라사이트 cleverest students are going to do really interesting research eventually, 바카라사이트y have to get as far as 바카라사이트y can as fast as 바카라사이트y can.

But every such thought can be stood on its head. "Non-traditional" students may not benefit from being treated like Harvard University graduates, but 바카라사이트y may need as much "one-on-one" teaching as 바카라사이트ir better-educated peers.

It may be remedial teaching, but remedial teaching is costly, too. By 바카라사이트 same token, highly motivated and well-equipped students run little risk of dropping out; 바카라사이트ir less well-equipped peers are more likely - and rightly - to have doubts about what 바카라사이트y should be doing and why. Anything you save in 바카라사이트 classroom, you ought to be spending on support services of all sorts.

The obvious solution is to let 바카라사이트 market sort it out - if Russell Group universities really do deliver ?200,000 more in lifetime earnings than "modern" universities, students should cheerfully pay higher fees for 바카라사이트ir product, and Hefce can stick to 바카라사이트 uniformity of "a course is a course is a course". O바카라사이트rwise, we shall be doomed to spend 바카라사이트 next 20 years, like 바카라사이트 past 20, irritably squabbling over shares of an inadequate funding cake.

Alan Ryan is warden of New College, Oxford.