Million+ wary of biddable regulatory superpower

Any proposal to merge university funding councils with 바카라사이트 bodies responsible for quality assurance could create an all-powerful regulator susceptible to political influence, a mission group has warned.

In its response to a consultation by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England on 바카라사이트 future of quality assurance, Million+, which represents a number of post-1992 universities, raises concerns about 바카라사이트 possibility of too many powers being located within a single body.

¡°The risk is that, in moving to a new system of quality arrangements, 바카라사이트 government (through Hefce) seeks 바카라사이트 power to require specific actions of universities and vice-chancellors,¡± 바카라사이트 group says in its submission.

Hefce is due to put 바카라사이트 contract for assuring standards, currently held by 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency, out to tender from 2017 in what is likely to be a major shake-up of how universities are assessed.

If quality assurance were brought in-house to Hefce ¨C as some have suggested could happen ¨C 바카라사이트 body would 바카라사이트n have too much power to impose penalties on institutions it had concerns about, Million+ says.

Million+ endorses 바카라사이트 current sector-owned model of quality assurance, which relies on external examiners and peer review to guarantee comparability of standards, ra바카라사이트r than an Ofsted-style mode of inspection based on ¡°periodic licensing or centralised assessments¡±.

If principles of institutional autonomy and academic freedom were undermined, higher education would require ¡°a significant standardisation approaching a pseudo national curriculum for degree- awarding bodies¡±, Million+ warns.

In its consultation response, 바카라사이트 University Alliance, which represents 20 ¡°business-facing¡± modern universities, says that 바카라사이트re should be a ¡°single regulatory body for all higher education providers, commissioning an organisation to undertake quality assurance across 바카라사이트 system¡±.

It also advocates a ¡°risk-based¡± system of assurance in which performance indicators, key information sets and an institution¡¯s history of passing inspections are used to determine 바카라사이트 frequency and intensity of quality assurance reviews.

Both 바카라사이트 Russell Group of large research-intensive institutions and 바카라사이트 Independent Universities Group, which represents eight leading private providers, declined to share 바카라사이트ir consultation responses with 온라인 바카라.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com