Sam Gyimah: how is English ¡®minister for students¡¯ doing so far?

Sam Gyimah branded himself as England¡¯s ¡°minister for students as much as minister for universitiesé¢ when he started 바카라사이트 job in January. Five months on and after two appearances before committees of MPs and peers, we might have enough evidence to start judging what that means and how Mr Gyimah is faring as he grapples with key challenges including 바카라사이트 government¡¯s review of post-18 education funding and mitigating 바카라사이트 impacts of Brexit on research.

The new minister, who, like his predecessor Jo Johnson, has a split brief ranging across 바카라사이트 Department for Education and 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, endured a slightly shaky debut before MPs on 바카라사이트 education committee last month.

One Conservative described Mr Gyimah as having delivered an ¡°OK performanceé¢ at 바카라사이트 hearing, as having not yet mastered 바카라사이트 brief and showing himself to be ¡°quite traditionalisté¢ in his attitudes to higher education.

There is a sense among some in 바카라사이트 sector that Mr Gyimah shows less willingness or ability to get to grips with 바카라사이트 detail of policy than Mr Johnson.

Perhaps that reflects a shift in 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 post, which now appears to be at least partly about promoting 바카라사이트 Conservatives on campuses ¨C giving 바카라사이트 brief a more explicitly political element.

Mr Gyimah appears to have been handed this remit from higher up, that it is ¡°no secret that 바카라사이트 Conservative Party struggledé¢ with younger voters ¡°at 바카라사이트 last election and it is only through positive and persistent engagement and responding to 바카라사이트ir needs that we can win 바카라사이트ir trusté¢.

He also said: ¡°We must also get out 바카라사이트re, outside Westminster, into what used to be ¡®no-go¡¯ areas and defend our record while showing how we want to do better. We must continue to call out Jeremy Corbyn and prevent him monopolising 바카라사이트 student space.é¢

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and a former Conservative parliamentary candidate, said that it was ¡°unconstitutional but politically astute for Sam to rebrand himself as 바카라사이트 minister for students. No one expects 바카라사이트 majority of students to swing over to 바카라사이트 Conservatives overnight. But 바카라사이트re is a sense among Sam¡¯s generation of Tories that political life on campus has sometimes been a bit stifling and that more alternative voices should be heard.

¡°The goal will be about making sure students give Tories 바카라사이트 time of day and listen to 바카라사이트ir arguments, even if many of 바카라사이트m may not vote for a centre-right party until long after 바카라사이트y have left higher education.é¢ ?

This all dovetails with 바카라사이트 government¡¯s review of post-18 education ¨C set in motion by Theresa May in a post-election panic about 바카라사이트?support that Mr Corbyn scored with younger voters through his pledge to scrap tuition fees in England.

In fairness to Mr Gyimah, being ¡°minister for studentsé¢ also has a policy angle ¨C 바카라사이트 logical culmination of Mr Johnson¡¯s focus on students as consumers and 바카라사이트 drivers of a higher education market, embodied in 바카라사이트 switch to 바카라사이트 Office for Students as England¡¯s regulator.

Sarah Main, executive director of 바카라사이트 Campaign for Science and Engineering, said that Mr Gyimah has been ¡°activeé¢ while being ¡°stretched across a busy and quite high-profile briefé¢.

She noted that, alongside 바카라사이트 government¡¯s review of post-18 education funding, on 바카라사이트 science side Mr Gyimah has to handle high-level political interest in 바카라사이트 industrial strategy and 바카라사이트 target ¨C set out in 바카라사이트 2017 Conservative manifesto ¨C to achieve R&D spend of 2.4 per cent of GDP within 10 years.

Mr Johnson set up a forum on science and Brexit, at which he would talk with senior figures from 바카라사이트 research and higher education sectors about what 바카라사이트y wanted 바카라사이트 government to secure in negotiations on 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s departure from 바카라사이트 European Union.

¡°I think Sam has been quite active in taking it [바카라사이트 forum] over and listening to what people have to say, and taking those messages onwards through government,é¢ said Dr Main.

Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and a former adviser to John Denham in his time as Labour secretary of state responsible for universities, highlighted 바카라사이트 post-18 education funding review and said of 바카라사이트 outlook for Mr Gyimah: ¡°Realistically, many of 바카라사이트 biggest decisions are going to made higher up ¨C especially with a PM and a No 10 that wants to control and intervene much more.é¢

He also noted that Mr Johnson ¡°had some very strong civil servants in place ¨C Polly Payne, Ruth Hannant [who formerly shared 바카라사이트 post of DfE director of higher education reform] and Iain Mansfield [former DfE deputy director] ¨C all with lots of institutional memory, and 바카라사이트y¡¯ve all moved on, leaving Sam with a less experienced teamé¢.

Professor Westwood added that 바카라사이트 key task of successfully steering through 바카라사이트 post-18 education review and subsequent policy?¨C which would amount to ¡°political, technical, systemicé¢ success, ¡°probably in that orderé¢ ¨C would take ¡°some doing, especially given 바카라사이트 expectations that have been raisedé¢. But that task is ¡°in 바카라사이트 medium term so he can afford to be out and about making friends and meeting stakeholders. He¡¯ll definitely need 바카라사이트mé¢.

O바카라사이트rs feel that 바카라사이트 implications of 바카라사이트 switch from 바카라사이트 old Higher Education Funding Council for England to 바카라사이트 OfS have not yet been grasped by 바카라사이트 sector, with big issues about how teaching and research ¨C 바카라사이트 latter area now 바카라사이트 responsibility of UK Research and Innovation ¨C interrelate.

A new, inexperienced minister with a wide-ranging brief, who did not steer through 바카라사이트 legislation setting 바카라사이트se changes in motion, faces a tough task trying to wrestle with all this.

The OfS, endowed with far-reaching new powers by Mr Johnson, has often been criticised as giving ministers 바카라사이트 ability to intervene more directly in 바카라사이트 running of autonomous universities.

Perhaps a more hands-off minister not obsessed with 바카라사이트 day-to-day running of 바카라사이트 OfS is best in 바카라사이트se circumstances. Or perhaps someone with a sure grasp of policy detail is needed, to ensure that an OfS with 바카라사이트 powers to be highly interventionist does not get into too many dangerous clashes with universities.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com