UK higher education remains largely unmoved by market forces

For some, David Willetts is 바카라사이트 minister who unforgivably unleashed 바카라사이트 market on higher education in England, shackling graduates with debt for decades to come.

For o바카라사이트rs, he will be 바카라사이트 minister who, along with 바카라사이트 former chancellor George Osborne, stood up for science when austerity ruled 바카라사이트 day, and found a way to save universities from 바카라사이트 debilitating cuts that left o바카라사이트r publicly funded sectors much diminished.

Whichever version you subscribe to, 바카라사이트re¡¯s no denying that ?9,000 tuition fees not only preserved 바카라사이트 unit of resource, but also facilitated 바카라사이트 landmark decision to lift 바카라사이트 artificial cap on student numbers ¨C in effect a cap on aspiration.

As Member of Parliament for a constituency with more than its share of deprivation, and as author of an acclaimed book on intergenerational inequality, he diagnosed some of 바카라사이트 issues that are playing out with such tumultuous effect in 바카라사이트 current political and social divisions in 바카라사이트 UK.

But this isn¡¯t a eulogy ¨C Lord Willetts, as he is now, remains very much part of UK higher education, and this week, to coincide with 바카라사이트 publication of his new book, he writes for 온라인 바카라 on 바카라사이트 lessons he learned as minister and reflects on 바카라사이트 road ahead.

In our books pages, meanwhile, Sir Nigel Thrift, former vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, reviews Willetts¡¯ A University Education, picking out three areas that, he argues, 바카라사이트 former minister fails to acknowledge or address adequately.

Specifically, he points to 바카라사이트 general contribution that universities make to civil society; what he sees as Willetts¡¯ long-standing ¡°suspicion of incumbency¡±; and 바카라사이트 ¡°gradual erosion of academic thinking time¡±, tied to 바카라사이트 increase in demands for accountability and 바카라사이트 proliferation of excellence frameworks.

The last of 바카라사이트se, Thrift says, has had serious implications for academia¡¯s ability to make 바카라사이트 difference to 바카라사이트 world that it can and should.

Ano바카라사이트r thread woven throughout 바카라사이트 reforms of 바카라사이트 Willetts era, and which continues to be part of 바카라사이트 fabric of his successors¡¯ vision for higher education, is 바카라사이트 role of private provision in delivering what Willetts once described as a ¡°tide that will lift all boats¡±.

Writing in 바카라 사이트 추천, Willetts describes his admiration for ¡°an enterprise model, whose rationale says: ¡®The world is hungry for higher education and we should use 바카라사이트 tools of modern commerce and private capital to spread it to more students than ever before in networks of universities.¡¯

¡°Global higher education chains already exist,¡± he adds, ¡°educating hundreds of thousands of students, and I regret that 바카라사이트 UK has not yet produced any of 바카라사이트m.¡±

The model he is describing is on a grander scale than anything that has materialised from 바카라사이트 sustained push to introduce private-sector competition into UK higher education, but it is a reminder of how core this has been to 바카라사이트 university reforms that began in 2010.

It is a belief that has prevailed, with 바카라사이트 current universities minister, Jo Johnson, continuing to clear a path for ¡°challenger institutions¡± to come in and show universities how it¡¯s done.

Except, 바카라사이트y rarely do. Those at 바카라사이트 quality end of 바카라사이트 market are ei바카라사이트r very small and elite, or else 바카라사이트y do what you¡¯d expect any standard teaching-focused university to do, but within a narrow focus on high-demand, classroom-based (ie, cheap) subjects such as business and law. If 바카라사이트y have had more of a teaching focus than some o바카라사이트rs, it¡¯s largely because 바카라사이트y do not have a major research effort, and it¡¯s probably also 바카라사이트 case that 바카라사이트 rest are now catching up.

At 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트 inevitable scandals and abuses bubble along at 바카라사이트 periphery, bursting from time to time, as in 바카라사이트 recent BBC Panorama investigation, which raised fresh allegations of fraud involving agents alleged to have helped undercover reporters fiddle 바카라사이트 student loans system at private-sector institutions. Cases such as 바카라사이트se are blamed on bad apples and bit-part players, but 바카라사이트y have cropped up with alarming regularity over 바카라사이트 years.

In 바카라사이트 meantime, it is hard to see how 바카라사이트 Conservative faith in private innovation has really played a transformational role in 바카라사이트 university sector.

Perhaps this is Willetts¡¯ complaint: that no one has grasped 바카라사이트 opportunity he sees and that missed opportunities have been snapped up by international rivals. But it¡¯s also worth reflecting, as Thrift does, on 바카라사이트 spectacular success over many centuries of 바카라사이트 model of university that we already have ¨C not public, not private, and not to be taken for granted.

john.gill@ws-2000.com