Memorandum submitted by Queen Mary, University
of London
FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY
OF HE
The Education and Skills Select Committee's
inquiry in to the future sustainability of Higher Education will
consider the following:
THE ROLE
OF UNIVERSITIES
OVER THE
5-10 YEARS
The role of the university over the next five
to ten years should still be the focus on the development of excellent
teaching and research in the context of their impact on the wider
society and economy. However, the UK HE sector cannot sustain
the current level of activity on the present funding arrangements.
Higher Education is of vital importance to the
UK's global competitiveness, and this needs to be recognised through
the funding it receives. Universities will continue to play a
vital part in developing a highly skilled workforce. At the present
time the UK's higher education system is globally competitive,
however if the current funding levels and arrangements are not
changed UK HE will increasingly loose its global position to emerging
HE systems (such as those in the Far East and the USA).
International-standard research and teaching
involve large costs, which at present are not recognised in funding
mechanisms. HEIs need to be able to quickly respond to international
markets and trends. In order for this to happen, the current funding
of HE in the UK needs to be urgently and seriously addressed.
UK higher education is not a homogenous system.
Each HEI will have a different set of values and priorities. Again
this heterogeneity needs to be recognised in a more flexible funding
system, which recognises the differences between UK HEIs and provides
adequate funding to support different institutional missions.
At the same time, the autonomy of HEIs is vital and should be
cherished. This is one of the key aspects that makes UK HE a flexible
and responsive system.
THE BOLOGNA
PROCESS
The mobility of students and staff and the usefulness
of developing a framework that makes it easier to understand different
national educational systems are two of the key benefits of the
Bologna Process. The challenge is that Bologna impacts on many
aspects of HE in the UK, and there may be some anxiety that the
defining features of UK education could be lost through a perceived
"standardisation" agenda.
It will be important to ensure that mobility
programmes, such as the Integrated Action Programme for Lifelong
Learning (IAP) or joint degree programmes with HEIs in other Bologna
signatory countries, are fully funded and do not create financial
disadvantage for HEIs.
December 2006
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