By Simon Marginson. Years after Thatcher, says Simon Marginson, commerce is marginal to the sector. True competition would destroy its essence. The commercialisation of higher education was first floated in the UK in the Thatcher years, along with the introduction of “user” charges and privatisation in utilities, transport, social services and health. Thirty years later, direct funding of English higher education has been transferred to graduates, higher education institutions have become better at shaving costs and at marketing, and international students generate extra revenue. More...
12 avril 2014
There’s still no such thing as a higher education market
Universities ‘threatening to dock pay’ over boycott
By . Lecturers who take part in a proposed marking boycott later this month could have 100 per cent of their pay docked, universities have warned. The University and College Union boycott is due to start on 28 April and is part of an on-going dispute over pay, although talks between universities and unions, which could avert such action, are scheduled to take place on 15 April. Ahead of these talks, a number of universities have issued warnings to staff that if they participate in the marking boycott they could see 100 per cent of their pay docked, and that any services provided during the action would be considered voluntary and not paid. More...
Race discrimination in universities still a problem, reports survey
By . Nearly 60 per cent of black and minority ethnic higher education staff and students questioned for a survey feel they have been discriminated against. According to the Race Equality Survey, undertaken by the group Black British Academics, 56 per cent reported discrimination, while almost three quarters (73 per cent) said they would rate their institutions’ performance on race equality as “poor” or “very poor”. More...
Universities using ‘extreme measures’ to meet visa requirements
By . House of Lords committee calls for ‘proportionate’ checks on students. Universities are resorting to “extreme measures” to make sure they do not fall foul of immigration compliance requirements, a House of Lords report has found, such as fingerprinting international students before lectures. More...
Boris: scientists in UK have ‘certain fastidiousness about money’
By . Commercialising research can do ‘far more’ for humanity than Nobel Prizes, says Mayor of London. UK scientists should be more willing to embrace the idea that commercialising breakthroughs can do “far more” for humanity than winning Nobel Prizes, according to Boris Johnson. More...
Universities refuse UCU request for pay minutes
By . Four-fifths of institutions fail to release details on how v-c salary was set. The University and College Union has called for universities to “lift the lid on murky world of remunerations committees” after four-fifths of institutions refused to release minutes of the meetings that set vice-chancellors’ pay. More...
Students will be paying off loans into their 50s, study warns
By Daily Telegraph Reporter. Almost three quarters of graduates will have at least some of their loan written off under the new repayment regime, research finds. The vast majority of students will still be paying back university tuition fee loans when they are in their early fifties, and many will never repay their debt, according to new research.A study suggests that almost three quarters of graduates will have at least some of their loan written off under the new repayment regime, with the average amount wiped out standing at around £30,000. Read more...
Universities 'refuse to reveal top salaries’
By Telegraph Staff. Senior academic pay amongst information redacted for confidentiality by universities. Universities are refusing to disclose secret details of wage rises for vice-chancellors, according to a report into the ''murky world'' of senior academic pay. The University and College Union (UCU) said that just 27 out of 139 institutions responded to a request to see minutes of meetings of remuneration committees, which set pay rates, while half of those that did reply redacted some information. The union, which has staged several strikes since October after claiming that university staff had suffered a 13 per cent cut in real-terms pay since 2009, said it was time to “lift the lid” on pay rises for senior staff. Read more...Six in 10 students will have their debts written off
By Tim Ross. David Willetts, the Universities Minister, tells Labour's Liam Byrne that the government expects 60 per cent of students' loans will never be fully repaid, costing taxpayers billions of pounds. Almost two-thirds of students will never repay their taxpayer-funded tuition fee loans, according to new government figures. Billions of pounds in government loans are being given to students to cover the cost of university course fees, which tripled to £9,000 a year under coalition reforms introduced in 2012. Students are given state loans to cover the cost of these fees while they study and are not required to repay their debts until they are earning more than £21,000 a year. Any unpaid debts are written off after 30 years. Read more...
Break the binders – Gender, media, & women’s “choices”
By Melonie Fullick. On March 16, Steve Paikin – the host of the TVOntario’s popular current affairs show “The Agenda” – shared a blog post titled “Where are all the female guests?”. In it, he expressed concern about the ongoing lack of gender parity among the show’s guests, which has led to male-dominated panel discussions. The main question Paikin poses is, “Why, oh why, do we have such a tough time getting female guests on our program?”I’m always happy to see a discussion about women’s (lack of) representation among “experts” in the media. Read more...
