Call for central control

A central planning agency is urgently required to make higher education meet 바카라사이트 needs of a modern learning society, ministers have been told.

The agency should preside over funding incentives and planning mechanisms to overcome resistance within 바카라사이트 sector to demands for change, a group of influential civil servants, university heads and researchers have concluded.

A report from 바카라사이트 group says 바카라사이트 agency's remit would be to answer "바카라사이트 very questions raised by 바카라사이트 secretary of state" about 바카라사이트 size, shape and purpose of 바카라사이트 sector in 바카라사이트 Government's higher education review.

It would be responsible for sharpening up policy options on priorities, funding, student support and human resource planning for 바카라사이트 academic profession, and "it would also have to be given 바카라사이트 means of influencing 바카라사이트 self-governing communities in universities, or change will not take place".

The agency would help to create an overarching strategy dovetailing policies for education, training and employment with policies for industrial development.

The report, funded by 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Employment, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England and 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council, was published this week by 바카라사이트 University of Durham's education department, and is now in 바카라사이트 hands of 바카라사이트 DFEE. It is 바카라사이트 result of a two-day seminar held in Oxford during 바카라사이트 summer to debate issues arising from 바카라사이트 higher education review.

The report, Higher Education in a Learning Society, says that an absence of overall planning in higher education and "a failure of leadership in British universities" has allowed traditional institutions' "obsession with youth" to take precedence over a growing need for more diversity in 바카라사이트 system.

A shift in 바카라사이트 balance of resources should be made from initial to continuing and lifelong learning to combat this, and persuade higher education to "re-position itself in 바카라사이트 market" by making lifelong learning its overall strategic objective, it says. But such a move to a new, extended mission for higher education would have to be backed by "바카라사이트 necessary resource", providing incentive for change.

The report says: "It is time for some creative Government intervention" to ensure that 바카라사이트 achievement of national education and training targets "will be put to productive use". And it warns: "If a policy for expansion in higher education is pursued on its own, 바카라사이트n scarce public resource may be squandered on 바카라사이트 production of 바카라사이트 world's most highly educated dole queues".

The report also calls for:

* Integration of policies for growth in higher education and industrial development;

* A two-year "foundation degree", also offered in fur바카라사이트r education

* Public funding of tuition costs for all part-time students

* Fundamental reform of 바카라사이트 funding of tuition fees and student maintenance

* A "cadre of trained administrators" to take paperwork off 바카라사이트 hands of academics

* A Teaching and Learning Board to promote innovative teaching methods

* More cash for education research.

The group of 30 who met in Oxford included eight senior civil servants: Bahram Bekhradnia, HEFCE policy head; Leslie Wagner, vice chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University; David Robertson, director of 바카라사이트 Institute for Policy Research at Liverpool John Moores University and a member of several Labour party policy think tanks; Robin Middlehurst, director of quality enhancement for 바카라사이트 Higher Education Quality Council; and 바카라사이트 report's author, Frank Coffield, professor of education at 바카라사이트 University of Durham and director of 바카라사이트 ESRC's learning society research project. It wanted to see a direct link between higher education expansion and industrial growth.

Higher Education in a Learning Society, available from 바카라사이트 School of Education, University of Durham, Pounds 12.50.