18 January 2010

million+ comment on David Cameron’s proposals to create a panel of good universities

Responding to David Cameron’s announcement that he intends to pursue a “brazenly elitist” policy to exclude graduates from some universities entering the teaching profession, Professor Les Ebdon, Chair of the university think-tank million+ and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire has said that the scheme shows “an amazing ignorance” of the role of post-92 universities in both teaching science and in training teachers.

The Conservative proposals were announced by David Cameron and Michael Gove MP, the Conservative Spokesperson for Children, Schools and Families. Mr Gove had previously said that graduates who went into teaching, with a good science degree from a good university, would have their student loans written-off by a future Conservative Government. Expanding on this earlier announcement, the Conservatives have said that they would set up a panel to define a “good university” with the number of universities allocated expected to be in the “low dozens”.

Professor Les Ebdon said:“These proposals show an amazing ignorance of the role of the Quality Assurance Agency which assures standards in all UK universities. They also ignore the fact that the largest science departments are in post-92 universities and that universities like the University of Central Lancashire have recently re-opened chemistry departments. Post-92 universities also train the majority of teachers. Any scheme which undermined the role of the QAA or sought to exclude graduates, because they had taken their first degree or trained to become a teacher at a post-92 university, would cause a recruitment crisis in schools. It is surprising that the Conservatives should pursue a policy that would be unfair to graduates and damage the universities which were given university title, for both teaching and research degree awarding powers, by a previous Conservative Government.”

Pam Tatlow Chief Executive of the university think-tank million+ said: “These proposals are based on prejudice. Sadly, they will damage the employment prospects of graduates and the international competitiveness of UK universities. Students do not study different text-books or different scientific principles according to which university they attend. To suggest that a government-appointed panel could go behind the back of a national Quality Assurance Agency would isolate Britain from the quality assurance regimes in place in other countries and it would undermine the international reputation of the UK’s quality assurance arrangements and UK universities.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education www.millionplus.ac.uk
2. David Cameron set out plans to create a panel of good universities at the launch of the of the education section of the Conservatives’ draft general election manifesto. Michael Gove made the announcement that graduates who went into teaching, with a good science degree from a good university, would have their student loans written-off at the Sir John Cass Foundation Annual Lecture 3 December 2009
3. For more information, comment or interviews please contact Victoria Mills on 0207 7171655 or 07900 277819