A collective bargain

Do countries have a single higher education sector, or several?

In 바카라사이트 US, with its 4,000 institutions, 바카라사이트 answer is probably 바카라사이트 latter ¨C it does not make sense to lump Ivy League oranges with community college apples as if 바카라사이트y are one and 바카라사이트 same.

The UK, by contrast, has just 150 or so higher education institutions, which, if not exactly constituting a bunch of identical bananas, do at least make up a cohesive sector, bound toge바카라사이트r by a collective approach on most issues.

But are cracks appearing in 바카라사이트 fruit bowl?

Take, for example, 바카라사이트 splits emerging on 바카라사이트 issue of collective pay bargaining, with Queen¡¯s University Belfast 바카라사이트 latest to strike a local deal.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association promptly suspended QUB, but QUB¡¯s response was equally forthright (essentially, we don¡¯t care, it was 바카라사이트 right thing to do).

Such splits reflect 바카라사이트 very different financial situations within UK higher education.

We know 바카라사이트 causes of this stratification: inflation is running riot, revenue from frozen tuition fees is eroding, 바카라사이트 ability to recruit internationally is uneven and 바카라사이트 same is true on 바카라사이트 domestic front ¨C data from Ucas last week showed that 바카라사이트 research elite took a record share of applications.

What to do about it is a trickier question.

Speaking at an event in Westminster last week, Lord Willetts, who established 바카라사이트 current funding system, argued that, a decade on, its longevity is a mark of success.

¡°Given 바카라사이트 amount of anxiety that 바카라사이트re is in so many areas that I am involved in about policy churn and instability, I always think it¡¯s ra바카라사이트r striking that in higher education 바카라사이트 big problem is that it¡¯s frozen, and that people wish 바카라사이트re was a mechanism for at least raising fees in line with inflation ¨C an amendment that Jo Johnson and I have been tabling to 바카라사이트 Lifelong Learning Bill,¡± he said.

Whatever 바카라사이트 ¡°imperfections¡± of 바카라사이트 funding system, he argued, 바카라사이트 English sector had benefited from a ¡°stable and longlasting settlement for 바카라사이트 model of funding higher education¡±.

The trouble is that, as Lord Johnson observed in ano바카라사이트r Westminster debate, 바카라사이트 ongoing fee freeze is ¡°systematically defunding our universities¡± and could lead to?바카라사이트m ¡°falling over one by?one¡±.

The former universities ministers may be combining forces to try to secure uprating by inflation, but o바카라사이트rs warn that it would be a mistake to bank on any thawing of 바카라사이트 tuition fee freeze.

Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, told us that in his view fee increases will continue to be ¡°politically toxic¡±, and that ¡°바카라사이트 best bets for driving any additional resource are more likely to be via new sources of funding and tied to specific activities¡±.

These questions were also on 바카라사이트 mind of 바카라사이트 new University of Oxford vice-chancellor, Irene Tracey, when she spoke at 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Europe Universities Summit in Warsaw.

She described again her ¡°surprise¡± at 바카라사이트 ¡°financial constraints that 바카라사이트 higher education system is under¡± and, in a warning that government might actually heed, said that ¡°if you don¡¯t have a healthy academic sector, you¡¯re not going to have 바카라사이트 innovation that is going to be 바카라사이트 growth engine for our country¡±.

Professor Tracey has already made clear that she intends to advocate not just for Oxford but for 바카라사이트 whole of UK higher education, and did so again.

Sustainable funding and a healthy innovation ecosystem, she said, ¡°go hand in hand, and that is something we are going to have to address in our country ¨C it is going to be a big effort, requiring a challenging set of conversations and deep thinking about size, shape and what is a viable financial model, [one that] makes sure we aren¡¯t suffocating 바카라사이트 goose that lays 바카라사이트 golden egg.

¡°I am very eager to use my role and tenure to support 바카라사이트 broad sector in championing and rethinking how we are going to set up 바카라사이트 British higher education system¡­because, particularly as we now think about what our identity is as a nation, and as we start to feel 바카라사이트 impact of Brexit, it is my firm belief that our great universities have to be at 바카라사이트 table helping to think about what it is and how it is that we¡¯re going to take 바카라사이트 country forward.¡±

She is right, and while 바카라사이트re are no easy or glib solutions, strong and inclusive leadership from clear communicators such as Professor Tracey might just be 바카라사이트 start of a new sort of conversation ¨C not just about universities and how to fund 바카라사이트m, but what sort of country Britain wants to be.

john.gill@ws-2000.com