Millward: ministers have ended reliance on market for quality

Recent government interventions in English higher education show that 바카라사이트 Conservative administration has lost faith that a market-based system can be relied upon to drive up quality, according to a former regulator.

Chris Millward, who formerly held senior positions at both 바카라사이트 Office for Students and its predecessor, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council, said that 바카라사이트 past two years had seen a distinct shift away from 바카라사이트 language of students as consumers in public policymaking.

Interventions such as?bringing back student number caps?and ordering ¡°boots-on-바카라사이트-ground¡± inspections necessitated a new evaluation of 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 state and 바카라사이트 sector after a decade of deregulation, he said.

Speaking at a 25th?anniversary debate for 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), Professor Millward, who now teaches at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham, charted what he saw as 바카라사이트 rise and subsequent fall of a market-driven system in 바카라사이트 country.

¡°Over 25 years of QAA, many of my colleagues in English universities think universities have ceded authority over quality to 바카라사이트 state and 바카라사이트 state has imposed a market,¡± he said.

¡°I think it is more complicated than that. You are seeing 바카라사이트 rise and 바카라사이트 fall of 바카라사이트 market and 바카라사이트 empowerment of consumers within our system. As ever, a lot of this has been about pragmatism and finances as it has about ideology.¡±

Professor Millward said that 바카라사이트 introduction of tuition fees in 1998 and subsequent rises in 바카라사이트 fee cap to 바카라사이트 current ?9,250 in 2021 brought about a focus on student choice and tools that enabled comparisons between institutions such as 바카라사이트 Teaching Excellence Framework.

He said that 바카라사이트 OfS, where he served as 바카라사이트 first director of fair access and participation, was set up as a ¡°classic market regulator¡±, intent on ¡°providing confidence around a baseline and facilitating competition above it¡±.

But Boris Johnson¡¯s government ¨C elected in 2019 ¨C has tasked 바카라사이트 body with making more direct interventions, including 바카라사이트 recently announced?plans to inspect providers over quality.

¡°The current government in England has concluded 바카라사이트y can¡¯t rely on markets. And that¡¯s not just a higher education issue. It can¡¯t rely on markets to deliver 바카라사이트 promises of Brexit and levelling up. It couldn¡¯t rely on markets during 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic,¡± he said.

¡°I think we are currently seeing less reliance on 바카라사이트 market, less of 바카라사이트 language around students as consumers. That does take you back to 바카라사이트 foundations of 바카라사이트 QAA. It does, for me, mean we have to think about a different kind of settlement between universities and 바카라사이트 state.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com