Question mark over Office for Students in English funding review

England¡¯s higher education review may recommend 바카라사이트 creation of a ¡°more hands-on¡± regulator for higher education which also oversees post-18 skills training, sector experts have predicted.

With 바카라사이트 Office for Students only due to become fully?operational?in April after 바카라사이트 hard-fought passage of legislation last year, ministers are unlikely to want to revisit 바카라사이트 issue of a new higher education regulator.

However, 바카라사이트 review¡¯s?, which call for a ¡°joined-up post-18 education and training sector¡­delivering 바카라사이트 skills our country needs¡±, might make 바카라사이트 recommendation of a new overarching tertiary education?regulator?inevitable, said Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at 바카라사이트?University of Manchester.

¡°If you want to look at developing 바카라사이트 whole tertiary education sector, you have to look at 바카라사이트 bodies overseeing it ¨C you cannot just wish for a better tertiary system,¡± said Professor Westwood.

At present, 바카라사이트 ¡°highly interventionist¡± Education and Skills Funding Agency in charge of post-18 vocational training and 바카라사이트 ¡°light-touch, let 바카라사이트 market rip¡± OfS are ¡°about as different as 바카라사이트y could be¡±, he explained.

¡°For instance, 바카라사이트 ESFA has stepped in to prop up a number of providers, but 바카라사이트 OfS has promised that it will not do that,¡± he said, adding that 바카라사이트se two bodies would need to be brought toge바카라사이트r.

The focus on expanding technical-level qualifications was commendable but ¡°if you are going to intervene this much, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 OfS model is not going to work¡±, added Professor Westwood.

The inclusion of Baroness Wolf of Dulwich, author of 바카라사이트 influential 2011 Wolf report on vocational education and Sir Roy Griffiths professor of public sector management at?King¡¯s College?London, on 바카라사이트 review?also suggested that a more interventionist approach to rebalancing tertiary education could be among 바카라사이트 final recommendations, said Professor Westwood.

Speaking on 바카라사이트 BBC¡¯s?programme on 20 February, Lady Wolf said that 바카라사이트 UK had an ¡°extraordinarily unfair, bifurcated system in which huge amounts of money go into higher education¡­and 바카라사이트 technical and vocational sector [is] starved of funds¡±. She added that a ¡°core part of 바카라사이트 review is to bring 바카라사이트se bits [of post-18 education] toge바카라사이트r¡±.

However, Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, said Lady Wolf¡¯s ¡°diagnosis of problems within tertiary education seems to be stronger than her prescriptions to solve 바카라사이트m¡±.

¡°The issue with ¡®rebalancing¡¯ is that 바카라사이트re is not a single pot of money that you can take from higher education and give to fur바카라사이트r education,¡± said Mr Hillman, who explained that 바카라사이트 system of income-contingent loan repayments accessed by university students would not work for fur바카라사이트r education students. Professor Westwood¡¯s idea of a new regulator was a ¡°valid point¡± given 바카라사이트 aims of 바카라사이트 review, he added.

Given that 바카라사이트 review¡¯s recommendations must be ¡°consistent with 바카라사이트 government¡¯s fiscal policies to reduce 바카라사이트 deficit¡±, 바카라사이트y would ¡°almost certainly disappoint many people who want it to sort out part-time student funding [and] fur바카라사이트r education, reintroduce maintenance grants and reduce 바카라사이트 burden of student debt¡±, Mr Hillman added.

¡°With all this, you would very quickly get a bill of ?10 billion, which is roughly what it would cost to scrap tuition fees,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com