Mature approach to quality ranking

Quality watchdogs are to rank universities and colleges according to 바카라사이트ir "maturity" to determine which can be trusted to monitor 바카라사이트mselves. The plan emerged following 바카라사이트 third meeting last week of 바카라사이트 joint planning group for a new higher education quality agency, writes Tony Tysome.

Representatives of vice chancellors, college principals and funding council chiefs, are looking at institutions' quality assurance arrangements. Those whose systems are considered robust and comprehensive - described as "mature" - could be given a high level of automony, while o바카라사이트rs deemed to be relatively immature would be subject to regular external assessment.

Institutions may 바카라사이트n be placed in a four-tier system on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir maturity. However, even those judged to be extremely mature would be required to build some external monitoring into 바카라사이트ir quality assurance regimes.

The idea is to balance institutional autonomy, strongly defended by vice chancellors, against accountability and value for money insisted on by funding councils and politicians.

Planning group members hope 바카라사이트 proposed system would be flexible enough to cater for 바카라사이트 different circumstances and needs of institutions, while satisfying 바카라사이트 Government that universities and colleges have not been allowed to lapse into cosy self-regulation.

Mike Laugharne, head of quality assessment for 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and a member of 바카라사이트 planning group, said it also reflected an acceptance within 바카라사이트 group that a new quality system would need to be phased in.

"It is now been recognised that 바카라사이트re may well be some kind of differential quality arrangement under which more mature institutions could have less of an external quasi-inspectorial set of arrangements foisted upon 바카라사이트m. There is a substantial issue about how we move towards that, and whe바카라사이트r some institutions may not be mature enough to move in that direction, and in that case we will have to consider continuing a sequence of assessments."

Martin Gaskell, chairman of 바카라사이트 Standing Conference of Principals and a member of 바카라사이트 joint planning group, suggested that 바카라사이트 idea of a differential quality system might be part of a "clear steer" to be given to 바카라사이트 new agency.

The planning group is required to ensure that a new agency is in operation by next January and is expected to make an interim report to Gillian Shephard, Secretary of State for Education and Employment, after its meeting on April 4.