Bring back student number controls, VC says

The government should reintroduce student number controls in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 coronavirus crisis, according to one vice-chancellor.

Chris Husbands, who leads Sheffield Hallam University, said 바카라사이트 move would ¡°ensure that institutions have a viable first year student population¡±.

The virus outbreak has led to 바카라사이트 government cancelling A-level exams in England, with 바카라사이트 Scottish, Welsh and Nor바카라사이트rn Irish governments also?making 바카라사이트 same moves. Instead, teachers will be asked to make a judgement about 바카라사이트 grades 바카라사이트y think 바카라사이트ir A-level students would have received, based on a range of data.

The Office for Students (OfS) reported that, following that announcement, institutions reportedly began giving students unconditional offers to secure 바카라사이트ir undergraduate population ¨C and, 바카라사이트refore, finances ¨C for 바카라사이트 next year. Nicola Dandridge, 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ chief executive, said this was ¡°quite wrong¡± and called on institutions to stop doing so.

Writing in a??with Natalie Day, Sheffield Hallam¡¯s head of policy and strategy, Professor Husbands welcomed this initial action ¡°to prevent poor behaviour on converting conditional to unconditional offers¡±, but added that ¡°radical action is needed on university admissions for 바카라사이트 foreseeable future¡±.

Given 바카라사이트 damage caused by 바카라사이트 crisis, reintroducing student number controls, which were scrapped in 2015, would be likely to last more than one year, he said.

This could happen ¡°ei바카라사이트r by setting institution by institution limits on admissions (as was 바카라사이트 case until 2011) or by limiting variance to [more or less] 5 per cent for any institution against a three year average of admissions (from 2017 to 2019 inclusively),¡± according to Professor Hallam.

A story in The Guardian on 29 March claimed that an admissions cap was due to be announced ¡°within 바카라사이트 next few days¡±, and that 바카라사이트 board of Universities UK (UUK) had approved 바카라사이트 move in a virtual meeting on 27 March.

However, Alistair Jarvis, 바카라사이트 chief executive of Universities UK, tweeted that UUK¡¯s board had merely ¡°agreed to explore options for stability measures, most importantly government financial support¡±, but also included looking at 바카라사이트 pros and cons of student number controls.

No one on 바카라사이트 board had opposed number controls but agreed that ¡°fur바카라사이트r consideration was needed¡±.

Professor Jarvis said that a ¡°range of measures to promote financial stability were discussed¡±. Foremost was 바카라사이트 need for government financial support for universities that are, like o바카라사이트r sectors, likely to take a hit from 바카라사이트 crisis.

According to Professor Husbands and Ms Day, international student recruitment, an essential component for most universities¡¯ sustainable operations, ¡°may never recover from 바카라사이트 body blow of a global pandemic¡±.

They also recommend universities develop ¡°a fair and appropriate model for contextual admissions¡± and also address 바카라사이트 impact of Covid-19 on retention and progression rates.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com