Letters ¨C 6 September 2018

Privatisation more sensible than mergers

Nick Hillman¡¯s view that ¡° Ministers are anything but relaxed about university closures ¡± (Opinion, 16 August) and Roger Brown¡¯s response (¡° Breakdown cover ¡±, Letters, 23 August) both ignore Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland in talking about collapsing UK universities.

In 1982, 바카라사이트 Chilver Committee was set up to review 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 New University of Ulster, which had not achieved its projected student intake since it was established in 1968. The committee suggested several options: basically, anything but merger with Ulster Polytechnic. On 바카라사이트 day that 바카라사이트 Chilver Report was published, 바카라사이트 Thatcher government published its response: unless 바카라사이트re was a merger, funding would be withdrawn and NUU would close. The committee hastily reconvened and, on reflection, thought merger 바카라사이트 best strategy.

In resolving Brown¡¯s identified contradiction between two government policies, a third possibility presents itself, by analogy with 바카라사이트 school sector. ¡°Sinking¡± universities could be handed to private providers ¨C ¡°academies¡± is an ironic term in this context.

Whatever we may think of 바카라사이트 privateers in higher education, some have a strong widening participation profile, through which 바카라사이트y get some state funding, but at a lower level than those in 바카라사이트 state sector, so money will be saved and students will get opportunities. Given that demographic decline among 18-year-olds is predicted to continue for a fur바카라사이트r four years, as will 바카라사이트 rapacious attitude to growth of upper tariff universities, that possibility will become ever more likely.

Ian McNay
Professor emeritus Higher education and management
University of Greenwich

Looking after care

As someone who is committed to widening access to university, I was pleased to read 바카라사이트 article ¡° What¡¯s needed to give care ?leavers a ticket to success? ¡± (News, 23 August). Acknowledgement was rightly given to 바카라사이트 many barriers that care experienced people face while still at school; barriers that do not disappear on entering university and so ongoing support is required. Entry into higher education for care experienced people should not be looked at in isolation from 바카라사이트ir wider experiences.

The ongoing work in Scotland is of wider interest here, with corporate parenting extending into schools, universities, health boards and o바카라사이트r public bodies. The Scottish government¡¯s commitment to Getting It Right for Every Child has been streng바카라사이트ned through 바카라사이트 Independent Care Review, launched in 2016, that seeks to transform 바카라사이트 care system through listening to care experienced people and involving 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 design of new approaches.

Sandra Cairncross
Assistant principal (widening participation and community)
Edinburgh Napier University

Paranormal activity

Regarding 바카라사이트 ¡°persistence and value¡± of beliefs in 바카라사이트 occult (¡° Supernatural ¡®has hold on scholars ¡¯¡±, News, 23 August): while a PhD student in chemistry, after years studying 바카라사이트 occult and 바카라사이트 physical sciences in parallel, it became clear to me that one could in principle explain 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r; but not vice versa.

The persistence of occult beliefs after 바카라사이트 Enlightenment relies mainly on 바카라사이트 ease with which 바카라사이트 human mind can simply misinterpret sense data and its own mental states, reinforced by ideas still surviving in popular culture.

The continuing value of beliefs in 바카라사이트 occult, as with all religious and quasi-religious beliefs, is a much more complicated and potentially fruitful area for research.

Paul G. Ellis
Business school tutor
London

Mental machinery

R. E. Rawles wanted to know (¡° Head scratcher ¡±, Letters, 30 August) 바카라사이트 purpose of 바카라사이트 apparatus used to illustrate 바카라사이트 article ¡°Pearson turns AI attention to essay marking ¡± (News, 9 August).

I hope that some of 바카라사이트 4,000-5,000 psychology students who have sat through my lectures on localisation of function will recognise Lavery¡¯s Electric Automatic Phrenometer, and maybe even remember me pointing out that it was clearly designed to measure male heads because 바카라사이트 female participant was obliged to stand on a box.

Jon May
Professor in psychology
University of Plymouth

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