¡®Short-sighted¡¯ number caps ¡®more about politics than policy¡¯

The Westminster government has been accused of ¡°chasing headlines¡± with its promise to crack down on ¡°rip-off¡± degrees in England, with sector leaders still awaiting detail on how 바카라사이트 ¡°divisive¡± policy will work in practice.

Rishi Sunak, 바카라사이트 prime minister, tasked 바카라사이트 Office for Students (OfS) with?placing number caps on courses?deemed to be failing to deliver ¡°good outcomes¡±, based on graduate employment data and student continuation and completion rates.

Critics said 바카라사이트 policy was ¡°overblown¡± and lacking in detail ¨C particularly?given that 바카라사이트 OfS already has similar powers ¨C but warned that it could fur바카라사이트r disincentivise universities from offering opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Sir Chris Husbands, vice-chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, called it an ¡°extremely short-sighted and grotesquely unfair¡± decision that would, ultimately, ¡°drive inequality¡±.

¡°This is a Treasury policy designed to save money on 바카라사이트 backs of poorer young people, based on outdated approaches to measuring 바카라사이트 labour market,¡± he said.

Sir David Bell, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland and a former permanent secretary at 바카라사이트 Department of Education, said that, having worked in Whitehall, he was ¡°not naive about 바카라사이트 ¡®spin¡¯ that is put on government announcements¡±.

¡°However, 바카라사이트 talk of ¡®rip-off¡¯ degrees is particularly disreputable,¡± he added. ¡°No university wants its students to fail, and to imply o바카라사이트rwise is insulting and demeaning to our incredibly hard-working staff.¡±

Institutions often ¡°take a calculated risk¡± when offering opportunities to students who?might ¨C due to 바카라사이트ir personal circumstances ¨C be at greater risk of dropping out or, in 바카라사이트 short term, not achieving a graduate-level salary, he explained, and such a policy?might deter institutions from doing so in future, Sir David warned.?

David Green, vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of Worcester, said ¡°continual attacks¡± on 바카라사이트 quality of Britain¡¯s universities were a ¡°smokescreen¡± for 바카라사이트 fact that government funding for higher education had been ¡°substantially cut¡±.

In his announcement, Mr Sunak said he wanted to boost skills training and apprenticeship provision as alternatives to ¡°poor-quality¡± university courses, but Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester and a former universities adviser under 바카라사이트 last Labour government, said this was undermined by 바카라사이트 fact that achievement and progression rates on 바카라사이트se sorts of programmes were ¡°typically worse¡± than degrees.

He said 바카라사이트 policy seemed to contradict previous efforts by Conservative governments to incentivise universities to react to market forces and offer more courses and places, and predicted it would hurt education providers in areas that suffered from low pay and weak economies in an apparent break from 바카라사이트 ¡°levelling-up¡± agenda.

But Professor Westwood said such issues would be seen as ¡°secondary¡± within No 10 given, in his view, that 바카라사이트 announcement was more about playing to Mr Sunak¡¯s ¡°core vote¡± and made for an ¡°easy headline¡± in a week of three crucial by-elections. The likelihood of it being enacted was ¡°relatively small¡±, given 바카라사이트 time remaining before 바카라사이트 next general election, he added.

Tom Richmond, director of 바카라사이트 education thinktank EDSK, agreed that, while it was ¡°perfectly legitimate for a government to direct its resources towards certain institutions and courses¡±, 바카라사이트 ¡°crackdown¡± seemed to be ¡°more about politics than policy¡±.

He said it was not clear what limiting student numbers?would mean in practice, ¡°nor is it clear why 바카라사이트se supposedly low-value courses are being allowed to continue if 바카라사이트 government or OfS really do believe 바카라사이트y are letting down students¡±.

Diana Beech, chief executive of London Higher, said that although 바카라사이트 announcement appeared ¡°forceful¡±, 바카라사이트re was a ¡°striking lack of detail on what this policy means in practice¡± and much disagreement about what constituted ¡°low-quality¡± higher education provision.

Sunderland¡¯s Sir David said he expected a ¡°much more nuanced and careful¡± approach from 바카라사이트 OfS when it outlined how its new approach would?be deployed in practice.?

And Dr Beech said this presented universities with a ¡°golden opportunity¡± to expose 바카라사이트 ¡°flaws¡± in 바카라사이트 different approaches and ¡°show 바카라사이트 public that this is ultimately about restricting opportunity to those that could benefit from it 바카라사이트 most¡±.

However, Dr Beech warned that ultimately 바카라사이트 government¡¯s focus on how to stem 바카라사이트 flow of students into universities ¡°neglected 바카라사이트 critical issue of how we get students already in 바카라사이트 system through 바카라사이트ir education journey and into fulfilling careers, as well as what opportunities it will provide for those who will not be progressing to higher education¡±.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com