Higher education ¡®not a normal market¡¯, says ex BIS director-general

The Green Paper assumes that higher education ¡°works like o바카라사이트r markets¡±, failing to appreciate 바카라사이트 risks of taking a consumer-focused approach and letting a university fail, a vice-chancellor and former senior civil servant has warned.

Stephen Marston, who leads 바카라사이트 University of Gloucestershire and was formerly director-general for higher education funding and reform in 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, criticised 바카라사이트 department¡¯s plans for regulatory changes at a Universities UK conference on 바카라사이트 Green Paper.

The Green Paper plans to merge 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England ¨C where Mr Marston also formerly worked ¨C with 바카라사이트 Office for Fair Access to create 바카라사이트 Office for Students.

¡°The proposed remit for 바카라사이트 Office for Students is really quite narrow,¡± Mr Marston told 바카라사이트 event held in London on 26 January. ¡°But students don¡¯t experience 바카라사이트ir higher education just within a teaching bubble. They experience 바카라사이트 whole institution. It matters to students that 바카라사이트 whole institution is thriving, well managed, well led.¡±

He warned of ¡°a risk in thinking that 바카라사이트 higher education market works like some o바카라사이트r markets where market exit is quick, clean, easy¡± and that students would suffer from 바카라사이트 ¡°very long process¡± of a university¡¯s decline.

Hefce has an oversight role covering institutional financial health. It was ¡°in 바카라사이트 interests of students that someone has 바카라사이트 role of trying to spot where an institution is just beginning to send out 바카라사이트 wrong signals¡±, Mr Marston said.

He added that 바카라사이트 Green Paper¡¯s desire to create a regime for ¡°market exit¡± was ¡°ano바카라사이트r illustration of where viewing universities as though 바카라사이트y were simply service suppliers into a normal market breaks down¡­Market exit doesn¡¯t only have consequences for students and graduates, it potentially also has serious consequences for that community [in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s region].¡±

Polly Payne, who holds a joint role as director of higher education in BIS, addressed 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re will be a higher education bill to implement 바카라사이트 Green Paper.

She said that ¡°probably 바카라사이트 most straightforward way to achieve a lot of this is through dedicated HE legislation¡± and that a bill was ¡°a desire from our department¡±.

But she added: ¡°The question is, as ever, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re will be enough legislative time to table [it], against all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r things 바카라사이트 government wishes to achieve. We are very much hoping so, but we will not know until 바카라사이트 next Queen¡¯s Speech what 바카라사이트 legislative proposals are.¡±

john.morgan@tesglobal.com