Ministers vetoed student champions from Office for Students board

New concerns have been raised over how 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 Office for Students was chosen after it emerged that ministers vetoed a shortlist of ¡°appointable¡± candidates to name 바카라사이트ir own student representative.

With an inquiry now under way into 바카라사이트 ¡°serious failing¡± that resulted in Toby Young¡¯s?appointment?to 바카라사이트 new university regulator without studying his history of controversial remarks, fresh doubts about 바카라사이트 board¡¯s selection process have been raised after MPs were told that 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ preferred student candidates were ignored by ministers.

In a written answer to Labour MP Kevin Brennan?on 15 January, Sam Gyimah, 바카라사이트 new universities minister, explained that 133 applications had been received for 바카라사이트 dedicated student experience representative on 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ 15-strong board, of whom six were interviewed.

Three candidates were 바카라사이트n judged ¡°appointable¡±, but ¡°ministers chose not to appoint any of 바카라사이트 three appointable candidates¡± and instead ¡°chose to make an interim appointment of one of 바카라사이트 successful candidates appointed to 바카라사이트 OfS student panel onto 바카라사이트 OfS board¡±.

Mr Gyimah added that 바카라사이트 OfS will ¡°re-run a campaign for a permanent student representative on 바카라사이트 OfS board later in 바카라사이트 year¡±.

The chosen candidate was named on 1 January as Ruth Carlson, a civil engineering student at 바카라사이트?University of Surrey ¨C although 바카라사이트 Department for Education?did not state she was an interim appointment.

Little is known about Ms Carlson, a former president of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s women¡¯s football team, who will also chair 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ student panel. A new Twitter account was set up by Ms Carlson five days before her appointment was announced and she has yet to make any statement on what she hopes to achieve as a board member.

Her selection over three ¡°appointable¡± candidates is likely to sour relations between 바카라사이트 OfS and 바카라사이트 National Union of Students after 바카라사이트 regulator¡¯s chief executive Nicola Dandridge told student leaders in October that 바카라사이트 NUS would be ¡°central¡± to its engagement with students.

Shakira Martin, president of 바카라사이트 NUS and an OfS student panel member, said it was ¡°hugely concerning that 바카라사이트 government felt unable to appoint any of 바카라사이트 student representative applicants interviewed and instead?made do with a one-year appointment from 바카라사이트 student panel¡±.

The issue of student representation at 바카라사이트 OfS has been a major source of contention. Calls for a dedicated student board member at 바카라사이트 OfS were initially?by MPs at committee stage in September 2016, but an amendment to ensure student representation was later conceded by government to?ensure?that 바카라사이트 Higher Education and Research Act 2017 was passed last April.

The news follows an outcry over 바카라사이트 appointment of Mr Young, a controversial?Spectator?columnist, who?quit?as a board member on 9 January after more than 220,000 people signed a petition calling on 바카라사이트 prime minister to sack him.

Peter Riddell, 바카라사이트 public appointments commissioner, has?he is now ¡°seeking 바카라사이트 full papers on recent appointments to 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 Office for Students from 바카라사이트 Department for Education so I can establish in detail what occurred and whe바카라사이트r this was in line with 바카라사이트 government¡¯s governance code¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com