Commenting on the publication of the Government’s consultation on higher education regulation, a Universities UK (UUK) spokesperson said:
‘UUK stresses that the development of a new approach to regulation in higher education must focus on maintaining a high quality higher education system, and on promoting transparency, flexibility and diversity in the interests of students and the public.
‘UUK will be looking at the proposals in more detail, but a key objective of these changes must be to protect the international reputation of UK Higher Education and the student experience, and ensure that regulatory requirements to support this are applied consistently.
‘The UK's high quality and innovation in teaching provision is underpinned by institutional autonomy, and the Government has recognised the importance of this autonomy. Any proposals, including the role of HEFCE and the Government’s approach to universities’ degree-awarding powers, need to be carefully thought through to ensure this is effectively supported and promoted.
‘The Government has clearly stated the importance of lightening the regulatory load on institutions and we support the development of a risk-based approach to regulation.’
(Source: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk)
