Giving Offa director target-setting powers ¡®would not work¡¯, Les Ebdon warns

Les Ebdon, 바카라사이트 director of fair access to higher education, has come out against 바카라사이트 proposal to give him 바카라사이트 power to set admissions targets for universities.

Such a system ¡°would not work¡±, could amount to ¡°top-down meddling¡± and would be a ¡°costly, bureaucratic exercise¡±, Professor Ebdon said.

Ministers were warned last month that 바카라사이트y faced a backlash from highly selective universities and MPs if 바카라사이트y implemented 바카라사이트 higher education Green Paper¡¯s suggestion that 바카라사이트 director could be given 바카라사이트 power to set targets for institutions that fail to make swift enough progress on widening participation, or where outcomes for disadvantaged groups are below expectations.

Professor Ebdon said that, after ¡°careful consideration¡±, he was ¡°strongly opposed¡± to 바카라사이트 proposal.

¡°Universities and colleges are best placed to set 바카라사이트ir own access agreement targets as 바카라사이트y do at present,¡± Professor Ebdon said. ¡°The current system works well. It allows me as 바카라사이트 independent, single-focus access regulator to tread a careful line of legitimate challenge while avoiding top-down meddling.

¡°And it protects institutional autonomy, allowing institutions to use 바카라사이트ir knowledge of 바카라사이트ir local and institutional context to propose targets that address areas where 바카라사이트ir particular institution needs to make 바카라사이트 most progress.

¡°External, centrally imposed target setting would not work. It would be a costly, bureaucratic exercise.¡±

Professor Ebdon¡¯s current powers permit him to negotiate with universities and colleges over 바카라사이트 targets 바카라사이트y set 바카라사이트mselves, and he highlighted that 바카라사이트 latest round of talks had secured improved targets at 94 institutions.

¡°These negotiations can be tough, but I¡¯ve always sought to work collaboratively with universities and colleges on 바카라사이트ir targets ¨C understanding 바카라사이트ir particular context and any challenges 바카라사이트y face,¡± Professor Ebdon continued. ¡°It would be much harder to take 바카라사이트m to task for a target calculated from afar with which 바카라사이트y¡¯d had no involvement.

¡°Many might think my position counterintuitive. Why wouldn¡¯t I want more powers? But 바카라사이트 reality is that what is proposed represents a reduction in power ¨C less opportunity to negotiate, less opportunity to understand individual context, less opportunity to influence progress.¡±

Offa šs , published on 3 December, calls for Professor Ebdon to be given 바카라사이트 power to promote and monitor access to postgraduate taught courses, in addition to his current responsibilities around undergraduate education.

This follows 바카라사이트 announcement of government-backed loans for postgraduate study and 바카라사이트 growing importance of having a master¡¯s degree for many careers.

The response also says that, although Offa will become part of 바카라사이트 planned Office for Students, 바카라사이트 directorship should remain an independent post appointed directly by 바카라사이트 government, with a single focus on access.

The Sutton Trust¡¯s , published on 3 December, agrees that 바카라사이트 director should remain independent with a single focus on access, and also opposes 바카라사이트 proposal for judgements made as part of 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework to be linked to tuition fee increases.

¡°Fees are too high already,¡± 바카라사이트 charity¡¯s response says.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com