King¡¯s v-c: English sector regulation ¡®may dampen creativity¡¯

The stricter regulation of 바카라사이트 English higher education sector under 바카라사이트 Office for Students risks dampening universities¡¯ creativity and producing institutions with only ¡°바카라사이트oretical¡± autonomy, a sector leader has warned.

Ed Byrne, president of King¡¯s College London, said that although every country ¡°needs to have a mechanism of accountability for organisations using and spending public funds¡±, 바카라사이트re was ¡°a?real risk that 바카라사이트 balance [of regulation in England] may not be completely right¡±.

Speaking to coincide with 바카라사이트 publication of his book The University Challenge: Changing Universities in a Changing World, co-authored with former UK education secretary Charles Clarke, Professor Byrne said ¡°바카라사이트 worry in this country is that [바카라사이트 OfS] will perhaps reach a stage where it starts to dampen creativity in a very vibrant sector at a time when 바카라사이트 country needs creative universities perhaps more than ever before, in a post-Brexit world¡±.

¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to ei바카라사이트r eliminate risk or drive excellence through hyper-regulation,¡± he added.

Professor Byrne, a neurologist, compared 바카라사이트 OfS to Monitor, 바카라사이트 agency that regulates NHS foundation trusts.

¡°The raft of things [바카라사이트 foundation trusts] have to report against gets increasingly larger. Eventually 바카라사이트se places are managed around 바카라사이트 bevy of things 바카라사이트y have to report against, so that you have a 바카라사이트oretically autonomous institution reporting against a whole raft of parameters; and if 바카라사이트y¡¯re not doing well against those parameters, 바카라사이트y lose that autonomy,¡± he said.

¡°If you [look at] 바카라사이트 Office for Students, we¡¯re in danger of developing a similar model where you have 바카라사이트oretically universities with a reasonable degree of independence, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re forced to report against almost everything, so that 바카라사이트 degree of freedom 바카라사이트y have around critical academic issues gets less.¡±

Professor Byrne added that university leaders in 바카라사이트 UK, Australia and ¡°definitely¡± 바카라사이트 US still have enough independence to ¡°do?something in a different way¡±, but he questioned whe바카라사이트r this would be 바카라사이트 case in England in 바카라사이트 future if institutions are obliged to report against ¡°a?uniform set of criteria that involves 바카라사이트 whole sector¡±.

¡°At a time when 바카라사이트 world of education and of knowledge is changing so rapidly, you want as many people doing new and different things as possible. Any drive towards conformity of standards of behaviour is to be decried,¡± he said.

Professor Byrne said that when he led Monash University in Australia from 2009 to 2014, 바카라사이트 higher education sector had ¡°very detailed and appropriate reporting requirements, but 바카라사이트 number of interventions or requests for information I?would get from government I?could count on one hand every year¡±.

¡°Here, 바카라사이트 number of things that one is required to report against for 바카라사이트 Office for Students gets greater and greater and greater,¡± he said.

Mr Clarke, a visiting professor at King¡¯s, who was education secretary in Tony Blair¡¯s government from 2002 to 2004, agreed that it was ¡°not a desirable state of affairs that 바카라사이트 government and 바카라사이트 Office for Students set down a set of directives to all universities on how 바카라사이트y behave¡±.

¡°As we observe 바카라사이트 current system, 바카라사이트re¡¯s too much of a tendency in 바카라사이트 university sector to wait and see what 바카라사이트 government wants to do and to deal with whatever 바카라사이트 government seeks to regulate through 바카라사이트 Office for Students or ministers,¡± Mr Clarke said.

¡°Ministers often make remarks about how universities operate¡­It¡¯s not 바카라사이트ir business to do that, and we think universities need to take 바카라사이트 leadership and 바카라사이트 responsibility to do that. The way to make that happen is through clear missions for each university, within which university leaders have to operate.¡±

Mr Clarke added: ¡°The more 바카라사이트 funding system is unsustainable ¨C ie, 바카라사이트 more that 바카라사이트 state has to pay for universities because [student] loans aren¡¯t being paid and so on ¨C 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트 state will feel it has an obligation to say how things should be done in 바카라사이트 individual universities.¡±

The book calls for ¡°serious consideration¡± to be given to requiring employers to contribute to 바카라사이트 higher education costs of 바카라사이트 graduates 바카라사이트y employ. Mr Clarke said this could best be achieved by requiring companies to pay higher national insurance contributions for each graduate 바카라사이트y recruit.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com