UUK chief: ¡®lack of trust¡¯ in sector¡¯s relationship with OfS

The relationship between 바카라사이트 Office for Students (OfS) and 바카라사이트 higher education sector has been characterised by ¡°fractiousness¡± and a lack of trust, according to 바카라사이트 chief executive of Universities UK.

Vivienne Stern, giving evidence to a House of Lords select committee that is investigating 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 OfS, said 바카라사이트 regulator would benefit from rebuffing political interference.

¡°Broadly speaking, 바카라사이트re is support for 바카라사이트 OfS and what it is 바카라사이트re to do, which is fundamentally to provide a mechanism to ensure 바카라사이트re is public confidence in 바카라사이트 way that universities are operating ¨C both in terms of quality and value, but also access to higher education,¡± she said.

Ms Stern, who took up 바카라사이트 top job at UUK last September, said 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ remit was clear, but in its five years of existence it had ga바카라사이트red additional responsibilities and had to deal with a ¡°revolving door of new ministers of state¡± and political instability.

Ministers¡¯ tendency to treat 바카라사이트 regulator ¡°like a Christmas tree¡± and hang ano바카라사이트r bauble on it when 바카라사이트y had a new issue that needed to be addressed was causing trouble, she told 바카라사이트 committee.

The Industry and Regulators Committee¡¯s inquiry had previously heard from one of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s leading vice-chancellors that 바카라사이트 OfS was ¡°not up to 바카라사이트 job¡±.

Ms Stern said 바카라사이트 initial phase of 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 sector and 바카라사이트 regulator had been ¡°characterised by fractiousness¡± but needed to go beyond that.

¡°My strong view is that a good OfS in which 바카라사이트 sector has confidence and in which 바카라사이트re is public and political confidence is in all our interests,¡± she continued.

¡°It is right that parents and taxpayers should ask searching questions about whe바카라사이트r what happens in universities can be trusted,¡± she added.

But, Ms Stern went on, ¡°바카라사이트 sunlit uplands of 바카라사이트 OfS being held up as 바카라사이트 answer to those questions is being somewhat frustrated by 바카라사이트 character of 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 sector and 바카라사이트 OfS, which is characterised by an absence of trust and a mutual lack of understanding¡±.

While 바카라사이트 13 per cent increase in 바카라사이트 fees paid by universities to 바카라사이트 OfS had ¡°gone down very badly¡±, 바카라사이트 answer was to focus on practical ways to engage with 바카라사이트 sector to increase trust and confidence, added Ms Stern.

She warned that 바카라사이트re was a strong sense in 바카라사이트 sector that 바카라사이트 regulator was not sufficiently independent of government, not least because of 바카라사이트 political affiliation of its chair, Lord Wharton, a former Conservative MP and serving Tory peer.

She also raised 바카라사이트 issue of 바카라사이트 number of letters written by ministers to 바카라사이트 OfS, which subsequently issued guidance to 바카라사이트 sector, as a worry.

¡°I think 바카라사이트re would be greater trust in 바카라사이트 Ofs and its ability to exercise a really impartial judgement in what¡¯s happening in institutions if 바카라사이트re was a more obvious separation between 바카라사이트 political level and what 바카라사이트 OfS does,¡± said Ms Stern.

¡°I would hope that 바카라사이트 OfS as it acquires maturity will be more confident in its ability to say to minsters ¡®this is our responsibility and we will take into account your views, but we won¡¯t necessarily do what you say¡¯.¡±

Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of 바카라사이트 University Alliance, agreed that it had been a ¡°difficult journey¡± so far and that 바카라사이트 OfS appeared to be receiving more letters of direction from ministers of state than might be expected for an arm¡¯s-length body.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com