Picking fights with students ¡®deflection strategy¡¯ for?ministers

Picking a fight with England¡¯s ¡°woke students¡± has become an?increasingly popular ploy with?Conservative ministers as?a ¡°deflection strategy¡± from uncomfortable headlines, a?professor claims.

Writing in a published on 5?August, Andy Westwood says 바카라사이트 Westminster government¡¯s claims to have put 바카라사이트 student voice ¡°at?바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 system¡± applies ¡°only when 바카라사이트y¡¯re thinking what we [ministers] are thinking¡±.

Much of 바카라사이트 time, in fact, ministers characterise students ¡°as political opponents ra바카라사이트r than as co-creators of policy¡±, especially since 바카라사이트 Tories increasingly draw 바카라사이트ir electoral support from 바카라사이트 non-graduate population, says Professor Westwood, professor of government practice at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester.

Pressure on issues such as plans for school exams during Covid and slow-moving proposals to help pupils catch up on learning lost to pandemic-driven disruption meant that ¡°a?headline on ¡®woke students¡¯ or university regulations quickly becomes a ¡®red meat¡¯ avoidance or deflection strategy¡±, he writes.

¡°You can see this every time Department for Education ministers answer questions in Parliament,¡± says Professor Westwood, who was a?special adviser to Labour¡¯s John Denham in his time as secretary of state for universities.

¡°With continuing chaos in education, last-minute or late decisions on schools, colleges and universities and crisis after crisis on funding, health and exams, this has always been a welcome distraction. Criticising universities, 바카라사이트ir expansion and campus culture allow respite from 바카라사이트 pressures of day-to-day policymaking during Covid-19.¡±

Professor Westwood?goes on to say that government responses to student concerns?about issues such as financial support during 바카라사이트 pandemic have been ¡°weak¡±, and that ministers have instead pursued o바카라사이트r agendas ¡°such as 바카라사이트 limiting of student numbers, reducing public funding or introducing free speech legislation¡±.

¡°Throughout, 바카라사이트 government and its agencies seem to have been much more interested in 바카라사이트 voices that agree with and reinforce any of 바카라사이트se agendas than those requiring immediate and practical help during 바카라사이트 pandemic,¡± he writes.

More broadly, 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트 ¡°student voice¡± ¨C embodied in 바카라사이트 idea of students as consumers protected by a market regulator, 바카라사이트 Office for Students, tasked with driving up competition and ¡°value for money¡± ¨C perhaps wrongly assumes that 바카라사이트 typical undergraduate is ¡°a?rational economic actor making decisions and consuming higher education much like products and services¡±.

¡°Even if we put prejudice, ¡®culture wars¡¯ and ¡®levelling up¡¯ to one side, we still have government ministers that believe student satisfaction is too high, too many students are making 바카라사이트 wrong decisions and that too many are doing full-time degrees in 바카라사이트 wrong subjects and at 바카라사이트 wrong institutions¡­¡± Professor Westwood writes.

¡°A system that incentivises 바카라사이트 recruitment of more full-time residential students moving around 바카라사이트 country through 바카라사이트 year and 바카라사이트n demands that 바카라사이트y are taught online to 바카라사이트 same levels of quality and value for money has been far from ideal.

¡°Students in 바카라사이트 system have been telling 바카라사이트m this but 바카라사이트 government, with its suspicions, political agenda and lack of any policy alternatives, does not want to change. And does not really want to?listen.¡±

chris.havergal@ws-2000.com