New Higher Ed Bill: It’s About Time

The call for a new higher education bill has gotten stronger and louder. Leading academic, Professor Roger King, who co-chaired the Higher Education Commission’s eight-month inquiry, took his turn in unleashing several important insights through his recent The Guardian post.

Change needs change

The higher education sector had been one of the most noticeable candidates for significant transformations. Every so often, education news sections proffer something new. The nature of this sector of which is characterised with a wide encompassing set of stakeholders – from students to investors – had made it a focal point for discussion, research studies and inquiries.

Take for instance the case of the 2011 white paper, entitled, “Higher education: students at the heart of the system.” This published piece had made it clear to any observer that no longer is the system tightly geared towards the higher education institutions; rather, it is about the ‘heart’ – the students.

From this change in orientation, today’s sector faced another introduction: changes that were envisioned to foster dynamism. And this newbie didn’t come alone; rather, tagging along was and is risk. Interestingly, dynamism sounds a lot more attractive than the latter. Poor reviews for risk aren’t surprising. Professor King himself explicitly provides for its ambivalent feature:

Risk is double-edged. It generates innovation and values creativity while also posing hazards and harms.

In context to the higher ed sector, a primary solution is foreseen to stir risk far, if not out, of the picture: regulation. A new higher education bill could provide the necessary “confidence in our higher education system.” Furthermore, this regulation could strengthen the wavering link the system has with its students, safeguard the sector’s brand of excellence, and nurse its standards back to health.

What have we got?

As it stands, the existing regulation is no match for this introduced risk. Today’s higher education system is being held by a shaky bundle of a “piecemeal and rather reactive approach.” This is clearly unsustainable – a painful reminder of the effects of a primary legislation that had been denied.

Calling for collective concern

Wrapping up the findings brought about by the Commission’s inquiry, Professor King turned to the whole composite of Britain’s higher education institutions. He began by pointing out the disproportioned externalities that may occur: “Even a few failures can damage the reputation of the whole sector…”

Both spectators and stakeholders may hold their breath a bit longer, and wait for the response of higher ed institutions, new entrants, and, of course, the Government.

What do you expect of the Government’s possible response(s) to this call for a new higher education bill? Will this HEC-inquiry be enough to cause a ripple against new degree providers?