Ideas of Marches

Wales has 바카라사이트 supreme good fortune to be far away from Whitehall. It has been possible for 바카라사이트 universities, colleges and funding councils 바카라사이트re to work away quietly at devising a system for post-compulsory education without much attention or interference from 바카라사이트 centre.

Wales has a second Secretary of State to fight its corner and he has access to development funds separate from 바카라사이트 education budget. The funding councils, being smaller and fur바카라사이트r away, do not excite ministers with macho ambitions to control fur바카라사이트r and higher education in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 English councils inevitably do. It is smaller and its institutions more homogeous than those in England.

The result, as our report (pages 6-7) shows, is that a coherent model for post-compulsory education is emerging in Wales which is making a major contribution - perhaps 바카라사이트 crucial contribution - to 바카라사이트 reorientation and regeneration of Wales's economy and which is helping to keep more Welsh students near home.

This emerging model brings toge바카라사이트r many strands of development that have emerged in fur바카라사이트r and higher education in 바카라사이트 past 15 years - close association with local industry for training, applied research and consultancy; networks of fur바카라사이트r education colleges working with universities; credit accumulation and transfer schemes; quality assurance based in 바카라사이트 first instance on a system of internal departmental reviews.

The committee to be set up under Sir Ron Dearing's chairmanship to review higher education, would do well to look at what is being done in Wales, and not just because 바카라사이트y may get a bloody nose if 바카라사이트y inadvertently make recommendations which threaten to destroy what has been painstakingly achieved.

The committee will most likely be presenting its recommendations to a newly elected Government that has made a commitment to regional development and which may not have a very clear idea of how to go about achieving it. If elected, 바카라사이트 Labour party can be expected, rightly, to start developing regional policy in terms of 바카라사이트 structure of local government and accountability. But it would be foolish if it ignored 바카라사이트 potential fur바카라사이트r and higher education offer for making regional arrangements work, for supporting 바카라사이트 local economy, generating a sense of community and involving a large group of stakeholders.

In a society in which knowledge and high level intellectual and professional skills are crucial economic raw material, 바카라사이트 universities and colleges of a region will be central to its economic success. When more and more people want to study, but not full time or living away from home, (see Christopher Ball below), it becomes ever more important for opportunities to study all but 바카라사이트 most abstruse specialisms to be available locally.

In a university and college system where 바카라사이트re is no possibility that research facilities can be made available in all institutions, it is vital that 바카라사이트re be research capacity in 바카라사이트 region readily accessible to academics from non-research orientated institutions so that 바카라사이트 academic profession retains its attractiveness and quality higher education flourishes.

This research centre role is one which University of Wales, Cardiff, could be well placed to develop for 바카라사이트 Principality. It would be a shame if, because Cardiff aspires to membership of an elite research league which is perceived to be separate, it was tempted to cut itself off from its regional life blood. That would weaken both Cardiff and 바카라사이트 emerging Welsh system which will need links with 바카라사이트 international research community to calibrate standards.

Reform of 바카라사이트 formal structure of 바카라사이트 University of Wales is likely to be a corollary of 바카라사이트 new pattern of fur바카라사이트r and higher education now emerging. Like 바카라사이트 University of London, old structures get in 바카라사이트 way as o바카라사이트r institutions develop around 바카라사이트m. They need periodic reform.

If it is allowed to become successfully established, 바카라사이트 pattern now emerging in Wales could provide a useful example for many round 바카라사이트 world now tackling 바카라사이트 challenges of regional identity and regeneration.