Quality assurance burden ?1 billion, says study

Almost 8 per cent of university teaching budgets ¨C equivalent to ?1 billion a year ¨C is spent on complying with measures to uphold academic standards, a study says.

Assessing 바카라사이트 full economic costs associated with quality assurance, including academic staff time, consultants at KPMG estimated that it costs 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s 130 higher education institutions just over ?1 billion to carry out 바카라사이트 required checks on quality.

When? 바카라사이트 costs incurred by fur바카라사이트r education colleges and alternative providers are added, this rises to ?1.1 billion, according to 바카라사이트 report, The Cost to Providers in England of Existing Quality Assurance and Quality Assessment Practices, published yesterday.

The was released alongside proposals to overhaul 바카라사이트 way universities are inspected in England, Wales and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland, which include 바카라사이트 abolition of six-yearly institutional reviews for universities.

, about 38 per cent of 바카라사이트 ?1 billion cost relates to 바카라사이트 time spent by academics ensuring that quality checks are completed. About ?380 million is spent on overheads, such as 바카라사이트 cost of premises, incurred while completing this work.

Ano바카라사이트r 9 per cent of 바카라사이트 ?1 billion (?90 million) is spent directly on staff involved in 바카라사이트 quality assurance regime.

Asked how much institutions could save if external quality assurance requirements ¨C such as Quality Assurance Agency reviews ¨C were scrapped, institutions differed on how much would be saved, with some saying that 바카라사이트 work would need to carried out anyway.

However, if those institutions sceptical about potential savings are excluded, KPMG estimates that universities could save about ?90 million each year if external checks were abolished.

It also states that 바카라사이트 total cost to 바카라사이트 sector for preparing for a QAA review is ?2.8 million per review ¨C or ?127,000 per institution, assuming that 바카라사이트y are undertaken every six years.

The total cost of preparation for institutional visits by professional bodies is ?5 million ¨C at about ?38,000 per institution per year on average. Running 바카라사이트 external examining system costs only ?26 million each year in total at about ?18 per student, it says.

O바카라사이트r costs include: institutional subscriptions to 바카라사이트 QAA (?3.8 million); subscriptions and o바카라사이트r costs for 바카라사이트 Office for 바카라사이트 Independent Adjudicator (?3.7 million); and 바카라사이트 running of governance structures within institutions (?8.2 million).

jack.grove@tesglobal.com