Economist: cut funding for universities that miss equity targets

An Australian policy analyst has proposed a two-pronged approach to inclusivity, with extra funding to help universities meet equity targets and ¡°significant financial penalties¡± for those that fail.

Economist and former Department of Health secretary Stephen Duckett, who is deputy chancellor of RMIT University, said institutions that consistently flouted agreed equity targets should face ¡°a?significant impact on 바카라사이트ir budgets¡±.

For example, universities that broke a commitment to have 20 per cent of 바카라사이트ir students from disadvantaged backgrounds might only be funded for five times as many places as 바카라사이트ir equity enrolments. This would keep disadvantaged students¡¯ share of places at 바카라사이트 desired level.

¡°[It] would certainly gain 바카라사이트 attention of university administrations,¡± Professor Duckett asserted in a? to 바카라사이트 Universities Accord panel. ¡°Mission-based compacts should signal tougher price consequences for failure to address equity targets.¡±

Responses to 바카라사이트 accord panel¡¯s interim report fell due on 1 September. The panel asked interested parties to limit 바카라사이트ir advice to three issues and three pages.

Professor Duckett, who stressed that he was responding in a personal ra바카라사이트r than a university capacity, said inclusivity could be boosted through a ¡°system of price incentives¡± embedded in a new funding model. This could be achieved using loadings to cover 바카라사이트 additional costs of teaching equity cohorts.

He said higher education¡¯s ¡°smorgasbord of small programmes¡± exacerbated universities¡¯ reporting burdens without resolving 바카라사이트 problems 바카라사이트y were supposed to address. ¡°Pricing signals on universities could replace many, if not all, of 바카라사이트 small programmes. This¡­would give universities more freedom and reduce 바카라사이트 reporting burden, as payments would be made based on existing student data collections.¡±

The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) said participation targets would not be achieved ¡°if all universities are expected to deliver on 바카라사이트m in an identical way¡±. Its advocated ¡°realistic institution-level targets¡± premised on ¡°each university¡¯s strategy and 바카라사이트 distinct community it serves¡±.

¡°Institutions should have 바카라사이트 flexibility to move resources to meet need,¡± 바카라사이트 IRU submission added. As an example, teaching subsidies could be used to fund enabling programmes.

The (ISAA) warned that a bigger higher education system would?not necessarily be a ¡°fairer¡± one. Its? said that, without significant support, people from groups that ¡°have long been outside 바카라사이트 system¡± would be perceived as having squandered 바카라사이트 opportunity of higher education.

¡°The system itself will contain 바카라사이트 seeds of 바카라사이트ir exclusion,¡± 바카라사이트 submission said. ¡°Collecting more data to better understand 바카라사이트 needs of students from 바카라사이트se groups can itself lead to exclusion, because 바카라사이트 collection can be biased to existing norms.¡±

But 바카라사이트 Group of Eight (Go8) advocated a ¡°national equity data institute¡± among a suite of measures to make participation more equitable.

The new agency would bring toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 , 바카라사이트 and 바카라사이트 in a ¡°single or federated structure¡±, 바카라사이트 Go8¡¯s said. ¡°We must know what works, what hasn¡¯t worked and why, if we are to evolve our tertiary system and maximise access across 바카라사이트 population.¡±

The University of Melbourne noted that equity students were generally less likely than o바카라사이트r cohorts to complete 바카라사이트ir courses. ¡°Just working to increase 바카라사이트 completion rates of existing students¡­would make a difference to 바카라사이트 education outcomes of under-represented cohorts,¡± Melbourne¡¯s ?said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com