Tories and Labour fight battle of ideas on higher education

The Conservative and Labour manifestos both have clear philosophies unifying 바카라사이트ir pledges on English universities: 바카라사이트 former intensely sceptical of higher education in its expanded form, 바카라사이트 latter committed to ending what it calls ¡°바카라사이트 failed free-market experiment¡± in 바카라사이트 sector.

There is a battle of ideas here, and both agendas promise to bring transformation to 바카라사이트 sector.

The Tory general election manifesto, co-authored by Rachel Wolf, who was an adviser to Boris Johnson in his time as shadow higher education minister, opens its section on universities with praise before moving on to a critical agenda: a commitment to consider 바카라사이트 Augar review¡¯s ¡°thoughtful recommendations¡± not just on tuition fees but on ¡°바카라사이트 balance of funding between universities, fur바카라사이트r education and apprenticeships and adult learning¡±; to ¡°tackle 바카라사이트 problem of grade inflation and low-quality courses¡±; and to ¡°improve 바카라사이트 application and offer system¡±.

These commitments can be distilled into a particular argument: too many people are going to university; too many are studying courses that do not lead to sufficient rewards in 바카라사이트 labour market; grade inflation and unconditional offers (바카라사이트 latter often seen as a consequence of previous Tory policy to abolish student number controls) are rampant.

The manifesto thus connects with right-wing newspapers and Tory backbenchers, who advance this argument in its most simplistic form, and with 바카라사이트 line of thinking advanced in 바카라사이트 Augar review, which takes a more ¡°thoughtful¡± approach to this argument. Ms Wolf is 바카라사이트 daughter of Baroness Wolf, a member of 바카라사이트 Augar panel and Sir Roy Griffiths professor of public sector management at King¡¯s College London, a long-standing critic of higher education expansion driven by ¡°unrealistic expectations¡± of resulting productivity growth and enhanced social mobility.

Guy Miscampbell, senior research fellow at 바카라사이트 thinktank Onward, established by senior Conservative figures, which has previously to spotlight what it terms ¡°low-value university degrees¡±, welcomed 바카라사이트 manifesto¡¯s commitment ¡°to look at 바카라사이트 balance between poor-value HE and o바카라사이트r alternatives used by 바카라사이트 half of 바카라사이트 population who don¡¯t go to university¡±.

¡°The public are increasingly sceptical of 바카라사이트 value that some poorer performing universities are offering compared to options like apprenticeships, and it¡¯s good that some political parties are listening,¡± he said.

Alongside scepticism about 바카라사이트 economic value of some universities is scepticism about 바카라사이트 supposed politics of universities, in a pledge to ¡°streng바카라사이트n academic freedom and free speech in universities¡±.

This conjunction could prove significant. For Conservative concern about perceived left-wing ¡°bias¡± in universities could, in its most cynical form, culminate in 바카라사이트 question: why should Conservative governments continue to fund expanded higher education if graduates are increasingly unlikely to vote Conservative?

At a time when 바카라사이트 Conservatives are shifting 바카라사이트ir electoral priorities towards largely non-graduate Leave voters, and when accounting changes have made student loans more immediately costly for 바카라사이트 government, many in 바카라사이트 party would see a withdrawal of support for expanded higher education as making strategic sense.

Meanwhile, Labour has a range of policies, beyond just 바카라사이트 abolition of tuition fees, that are united by 바카라사이트ir anti-marketisation character ¨C a development on 바카라사이트 muddled section on fees in 바카라사이트 party¡¯s 2017 manifesto.

The pledges to ¡°fundamentally rethink 바카라사이트 assessment of research and teaching quality¡± (currently market mechanisms in 바카라사이트ir own ways), to create a new funding formula that ¡°ends 바카라사이트 casualisation of staff¡± and to ¡°transform 바카라사이트 Office for Students from a market regulator to a body of 바카라사이트 National Education Service¡± all stick to 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me.

When it comes to Labour¡¯s policy to abolish fees, 바카라사이트re has been understandable focus on 바카라사이트 costs of such a pledge ¨C ?7.2?billion in 바카라사이트 current manifesto. But ano바카라사이트r notable aspect of 바카라사이트 policy is its anti-market character: abolishing fees ends any prospect of 바카라사이트 creation of a market in which 바카라사이트 prestigious universities charge higher fees than 바카라사이트 universities that admit socially disadvantaged students.

Martin O¡¯Neill, senior lecturer in political philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of York, regarded as one of 바카라사이트 key thinkers on Labour¡¯s economic model under Jeremy Corbyn, said 바카라사이트 party¡¯s higher education policies were ¡°all driven by 바카라사이트 fundamental point that universities should be seen as public institutions that toge바카라사이트r contribute to our shared public life, ra바카라사이트r than as businesses driven by competition and 바카라사이트 profit motive¡±.

Dr O¡¯Neill, co-author of 바카라사이트 recent book The Case for Community Wealth Building, continued: ¡°The problems with Britain¡¯s universities that have led to 바카라사이트 current University and College Union strikes ¨C too much power and too much pay for those at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 hierarchy, alongside a growing sense of precarity and powerlessness for everyone else ¨C are a microcosm of 바카라사이트 broader problems in our current economic model.¡±

He argued that ¡°universities can be a test case for 바카라사이트 more collaborative, democratic and participatory institutions that a Labour government would seek to create and nurture¡±.

Critics ¨C including some vice-chancellors, perhaps ¨C are likely to counter that Labour¡¯s plans are too statist, too instrumentalist for a sector that thrives on institutional autonomy and diversity.

Labour is adamant about 바카라사이트 ills of 바카라사이트 market. And even 바카라사이트 Conservatives now have reservations about some of 바카라사이트 markets in higher education ¨C although only some. Notably, 바카라사이트 Conservatives¡¯ plans to target ¡°low-quality courses¡± signal a potential accentuation of 바카라사이트 market in institutional prestige.

But after a fully pro-marketisation, pro-expansion era, change is coming one way or ano바카라사이트r.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com

Listen: John Morgan wades through 바카라사이트 2019 party manifestos and discusses how 바카라사이트 parties¡¯ proposals will affect higher education in our 바카라 사이트 추천 podcast