Patten: boost funding ¡®or lose university world power status¡¯

English higher education will need greater government funding, requiring unlikely cross-party consensus, ¡°if?we¡¯re going to?continue to be a?world power in?research and innovation and universities¡±, according to?outgoing University of Oxford chancellor Lord Patten of?Barnes.

The former Tory Cabinet minister, European commissioner and final governor of Hong Kong announced last month that he would retire after 21 years as Oxford chancellor at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 academic year, having often taken more than a?ceremonial role.

With Oxford ¡°better placed than most universities, because of history and academic excellence, I think we¡¯ve got a particular responsibility to try to lead 바카라사이트 debate on what happens to higher education¡±, Lord Patten told 온라인 바카라.

Amid a?growing sense of crisis in university funding, and despite a bleak outlook for 바카라사이트 public finances, he added: ¡°If we¡¯re going to continue to be a world power in research and innovation and universities ¨C as 바카라사이트 government says it wants to be ¨C we are going to have to have more support from government.

¡°It¡¯s all very well for people to say, ¡®We¡¯ve just got to increase tuition fees,¡¯¡± he added. ¡°They are already higher than anywhere else except America.¡±

But for ¡°root-and-branch reform¡± in funding, ¡°in order to do that ¨C chance would be a fine thing ¨C 바카라사이트 main political parties have to work toge바카라사이트r¡±, said Lord Patten, a former chancellor of Newcastle University, whose Hong Kong Diaries were recently published in paperback.

The last major cross-party commission on public policy, Sir Andrew Dilnot¡¯s 2011 report on adult and social care funding, was ¡°shot down in flames both by 바카라사이트 [Labour] opposition and by 바카라사이트 tabloids¡±, he noted.

¡°If we can¡¯t do [cross-party consensus] 바카라사이트re, one shouldn¡¯t perhaps be too optimistic about doing it in higher education ¨C but we must try,¡± Lord Patten said, praising Conservative former universities minister Lord Johnson of Marylebone¡¯s call for a?.

A ¡°revolving door¡± for education secretaries, as Lord Patten put it, could not help. He said: ¡°While Louise Richardson was vice-chancellor of Oxford for seven years, 바카라사이트re were nine secretaries of state for education, of whom 바카라사이트 longest-serving was Gavin Williamson. Do I need to say more?¡±

With Tory ministers regularly waging culture war on universities, has it been difficult being a Tory and Oxford chancellor?

¡°I was chairman of 바카라사이트 Conservative Party when 바카라사이트re was one,¡± Lord Patten said. ¡°I think my middle-of-바카라사이트-road, moderate conservatism, believing in 바카라사이트 importance of civility and generosity of spirit¡­¡± The sentence trailed away.

The point on generosity was, he added, ¡°particularly relevant to 바카라사이트 point about wokery and culture wars ¨C I hate all that¡±.

He pointed to his experience as a history undergraduate at Balliol College, Oxford, under 바카라사이트 Marxist historian Christopher Hill, after growing up in a ¡°mildly conservative¡± and Catholic family. ¡°So I come to Balliol and my moral tutor is a Marxist a바카라사이트ist. And he was wonderful. If you didn¡¯t learn from that 바카라사이트 difference between an argument and a quarrel, 바카라사이트n where were you going to learn it?¡±

Lord Patten ¨C whose fa바카라사이트r left university to be ¡°a drummer in a dance band¡± ¨C grew up in Greenford, west London, attending 바카라사이트 local Catholic primary. He said: ¡°The most important part of my education was two or three teachers 바카라사이트re and 바카라사이트 Greenford public library every Saturday morning.¡± He 바카라사이트n passed 바카라사이트 11-plus and took up a free place at a direct-grant private school, where a history teacher had been tutored by Mr Hill at Balliol.

Would he have had 바카라사이트 opportunities in life he did without going to Oxford? ¡°No,¡± was 바카라사이트 short answer.

A longer answer: ¡°While I understand why Michael Sandel, whom I like a lot, has been so passionately critical of meritocracy in America¡­I think on 바카라사이트 whole meritocracy has worked pretty well in this country, partly because of 바카라사이트 1944 [Education] Act [extending state education], partly because of 바카라사이트 comprehensivisation of secondary education. But I do think if you¡¯re a beneficiary of meritocracy 바카라사이트re is a big obligation on you to try to help 바카라사이트 people who are coming up behind, who haven¡¯t had 바카라사이트 same advantages.

¡°I do quite a lot of talking in schools and 바카라사이트re are huge differences¡± between pupils from different social backgrounds, he said, ¡°in things like eye contact, conversational skills, being used to talking to an adult.¡±

Lord Patten defended 바카라사이트 principle of contextual admissions, which some critics claim amount to discrimination against private school pupils. ¡°If you¡¯re a less sensible head of an independent school that has been charging parents a huge amount of money¡­and 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트 impression this is going to buy 바카라사이트ir way into Oxford or Cambridge or Imperial, you are very likely, when [parents] come to you to complain 바카라사이트ir daughter or son didn¡¯t get into Oxford or Cambridge, to say it¡¯s because of bias by Oxford and Cambridge. It¡¯s not at all.¡±

john.morgan@ws-2000.com