Quango man has your cash!
In a recent House of Commons report entitled Students and Universities the Higher Education Academy effectivley receive a vote of no confidence, as do the QAA!! Testing times ahead for both Quangos me thinks?
"We remain concerned that the Academy could not demonstrate what value it added for the
money supplied by the taxpayer or show that it was providing good value for money."
The Times Higher has summarised the report here. And also pulls out some very interesting bullet points, among them is this old chestnut:
Plagiarism by students is a “serious problem”, and there needs to be further investigation into why UK students appear to spend less time studying than their peers elsewhere in Europe.
So it looks like the QAA need to improve/regroup/disappear, etc, and try and reduce the fraudulent claims by some top Universities claiming for students who had left courses early. The Guardian also report on how they intend to keep closer tabs on the QAA to try and abate these poor management practices by public funded Universities.
And while were at revamping the entire education sector, 800 Quangos (like the Academy, JISC, Becta, fDf, LSC, etc, etc) are all in for severe pruning if the Tories get in next, or indeed when the recession bites harder after the next election.
I'll get me coat :O/ ....... Time for a holiday :oD
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