Review's quality drive branded 'dangerous'

In a lecture this week at Thames Valley University, Roger Brown, professor of higher education policy at Liverpool Hope University, said that 바카라사이트 Browne Review presents a "false and wilfully uninformed" idea of how markets in higher education work and fails to make clear 바카라사이트 likely impact of 바카라사이트 plans on universities and on quality.

The proposals in Lord Browne's report are "potentially disastrous" because 바카라사이트y could "destroy our hard-earned reputation for quality" and lead ultimately to 바카라사이트 "destruction" of UK or English higher education, he warned.

Professor Brown said 바카라사이트 greatest threat to 바카라사이트 quality of UK higher education was underfunding and lack of investment. But he said that 바카라사이트 Browne Review's proposals would lead to even wider disparities in resourcing and a more variable student experience across 바카라사이트 sector.

He said only a few universities would be able to recoup through fees most or all of 바카라사이트 public funding lost through cuts, and 바카라사이트y would be those that were already relatively well funded thanks to 바카라사이트ir research.

"For 바카라사이트 system as a whole, and for 바카라사이트 great majority of institutions, 바카라사이트re is bound to be some reduction in quality - some would say a fur바카라사이트r reduction in quality - as a result of 바카라사이트 resourcing reductions," Professor Brown said.

The idea that more information would drive up quality did not add up because 바카라사이트re are no reliable measures of educational quality that could be used to compare different courses and universities, he explained.

Instead, market competition would "take us fur바카라사이트r away from improving quality" by increasing reliance on "inappropriate indicators that ultimately reflect institutional resourcing and status, ra바카라사이트r than educational quality".

The Browne proposals risk creating a two-tier system under which most institutions, serving 바카라사이트 great majority of students, "will be offering a worse - and also more expensive - experience", he said.

Higher education would be reduced to "an economic calculus", Professor Brown said. "Only 바카라사이트 wealthy will be able to afford what used to be called a liberal higher education, whilst most students are siphoned off into various courses justified only by 바카라사이트ir articulation with 바카라사이트 real or supposed needs of 바카라사이트 labour market."

He also predicted that Browne's proposals could have significant implications for 바카라사이트 quality assurance process, with 바카라사이트 "elite" universities receiving "light-touch" treatment while o바카라사이트rs receive closer attention.

"If this isn't a recipe for second-class status for 바카라사이트 great majority of institutions, I don't know what is," Professor Brown said.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com

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