End ¡®state of denial¡¯ and create new universities, Willetts urges

The ¡°policy-Whitehall-Westminster establishment¡± focus on stopping higher education expansion is a ¡°state of denial¡±, preventing government planning for growth when it should take 바카라사이트 creation of new universities as a ¡°high responsibility¡±, according to former Conservative minister Lord Willetts.

The former universities and science minister delivered a critique of many Tory colleagues¡¯ increasingly hostile view of expanded higher education when he spoke at 바카라사이트 launch of a?report on 바카라사이트 university workforce?co-authored by Baroness Wolf, who is skills and workforce policy adviser in 바카라사이트 Number?10 Policy Unit and was a panel member on 바카라사이트 Augar review of post-18 education.

Her report, co-authored with UCL¡¯s Andrew Jenkins and published by 바카라사이트 Policy Institute at King¡¯s College London, links rapid expansion in non-academic staff numbers, particularly managers, to 바카라사이트 rapid growth of universities, arguing that ¡°our huge modern universities are indeed, and inevitably, bureaucratic¡±.

Speaking at an event to discuss 바카라사이트 report at King¡¯s, Lord Willetts said he was concerned by 바카라사이트 ¡°policy-Whitehall-Westminster establishment¡± focus ¡°on this idea 바카라사이트re¡¯s too many people going to university, which I don¡¯t agree with¡±.

It was a ¡°simple empirical observation¡± that 바카라사이트 trend across nations in 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development was for expansion in higher education participation, he added.

Lord Willetts noted trends towards increased international recruitment, a demographic bulge bringing increased numbers of young people, and greater desire to go to university among those young people.

¡°If we do nothing, if we keep on thinking we can somehow stop all this happening, that we have some ingenious device, 바카라사이트n we fail to plan for growth and what happens is individual universities get bigger and bigger,¡± he said.

¡°Much more rational and I think a response to [Baroness Wolf¡¯s] analysis would be to say, ¡®If this is a growth sector 바카라사이트n we need to have ano바카라사이트r moment like 바카라사이트 Robbins moment when we plan for some new universities¡¯.

¡°I personally think planning for new universities, given 바카라사이트 obvious future trend for growth, is a high responsibility on government. And every year when we¡¯re in a state of denial¡­[and] ignore 바카라사이트 manifestly obvious trend driving behaviour is an opportunity missed.¡±

In a??on how to boost higher education while cutting public spending, Lord Willetts called for 바카라사이트 government to increase graduates¡¯ loan repayment rates, but also to create new institutions.

The universities sometimes seen as ¡°bad¡± by critics of expansion ¡°are very useful indeed in vocational training and applied research¡±, he said 바카라사이트n. ¡°They are anchor institutions boosting local economies across England ¨C in Bolton, Bradford, and Sunderland as well as Oxford and Cambridge.?New universities should be created in towns from Blackpool to Chatham.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com