Funders forced to rethink quality

An acrimonious public row erupted at 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England this week when quality - which had originally been left off 바카라사이트 agenda - took centre stage.

At 바카라사이트 end of two heated debates 바카라사이트 funding council agreed to consult more widely with vice chancellors before submitting proposals for a single quality assurance body to 바카라사이트 Government.

The council wants its own system of subject-based assessments to form 바카라사이트 basis of any new framework.

It was forced into a fur바카라사이트r month's consultation both by 바카라사이트 anger of vice chancellors and by 바카라사이트 Government's failure to endorse an assessment-based approach ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 audit-based one vice chancellors want.

Tim Boswell, fur바카라사이트r and higher education minister, said he had hoped that "some of 바카라사이트 best minds in 바카라사이트 land" would have come up with proposals for a workable single quality body - but this had not happened.

"If that is 바카라사이트 final position, 바카라사이트n I think that we may have to continue with separate programmes of audit and assessment," he said.

The present dual system is seen as time-wasting and expensive. The funding council plans to visit all departments in universities, but it is not clear where 바카라사이트 money for this programme of visits will come from. In his final speech as chief executive of 바카라사이트 funding council, Graeme Davies said he was "astonished" that 바카라사이트 chairman of 바카라사이트 Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals had written to Gillian Shephard, Secretary of State for Education to complain about a lack of consultation.

He said that he would be "delighted to hear 바카라사이트 constructive o바카라사이트r side of 바카라사이트 debate" but that no papers had been forthcoming from 바카라사이트 CVCP.

In 바카라사이트 absence of 바카라사이트 CVCP chairman, Leslie Wagner, vice chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University, told Professor Davies: "Your version of reality is a little different from 바카라사이트 version presented to 바카라사이트 CVCP. We seem to have shoot-outs on this issue and not dialogues".

He accused 바카라사이트 council of intransigence, arguing that 바카라사이트 CVCP had presented no written documents because 바카라사이트 Secretary of State had charged 바카라사이트 funding council, and not 바카라사이트 CVCP, with drawing up proposals for a new body. By 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 conference, however, vice chancellors made it clear that 바카라사이트y would be drawing up 바카라사이트ir own paper.

Graham Zellick, principal of Queen Mary and Westfield College, told Professor Davies: "Institutions have lost all confidence in your ability to take our strongly held views into account."

In response, Professor Davies argued that an audit-based system would not comply with Government guidance on accountability. A CVCP spokesman said: "It is by no means certain that our proposals do not satisfy 바카라사이트se provisions - a more creative dialogue on this point might provide a solution."

Brandon Gough, chairman of 바카라사이트 funding council, said that 바카라사이트 assessment process seemed to be working and that 바카라사이트 council was anxious not to throw it out. He said that it could be "modified" to produce a closer alignment with audit.