Universities scream for some breathing room

Seeing as I work in the university sector, I know that
since the New Labour days, universities have been
under too much pressure to be everything a Westminster
politician wants it to be. But, they're missing the boat.

Universities are so busy pleasing box-tickers that
they cannot do their real work, education and research.

more soon

checkit:  Guardian
 Let UK universities do what they do best – teaching and research 
‘Micro-management of academics is relentlessly eroding their ability to teach and conduct research.’ 
Letters Monday 6 July 2015 20.06 BST
Last modified on Tuesday 7 July 2015 11.11 BST
The UK’s universities can justifiably claim an outstanding international reputation, generating multiple direct and indirect benefits for society, and underpinning our core professions through training and education. Yet these attributes are being undermined and degraded from within and without, with innovation, creativity, originality and critical thought, as well as notions of social justice, being threatened by forces of marketisation demanding “competitiveness” and “efficiency” in teaching and research. This generates continuous pressures to standardise, conform, obey and duplicate in order to be “transparent” to measurement. Government regulations are escalating pressures on academics, insisting they function as 'small businesses' Government regulations and managerial micro-management are escalating pressures on academics, insisting they function as “small businesses” covering their own costs or generating profits. Highly paid university managers (and even more highly paid “management consultants”) are driving these processes, with little regard for, or understanding of, the teaching and research process in higher education. Yet these outdated models of “competitiveness” and “efficiency” have long since been rejected not only by those who believe in quality education as a force for social change but also by progressive business thinking worldwide. This deprofessionalisation and micro-management of academics is relentlessly eroding their ability to teach and conduct research effectively and appropriately. A compliant, demoralised and deprofessionalised workforce is necessarily underproductive, and cannot innovate. Unprecedented levels of anxiety and stress among both academic and academic-related staff and students abound, with “obedient” students expecting, and even demanding, hoop-jumping, box-ticking and bean-counting, often terrified by anything new, different, or difficult. Managerial surveys then “measure” their consumer “satisfaction” – such are the low ambitions of today’s universities, locked into a conservative status quo mentality; for what is there left to learn, when you already know it in order to demand it? Advertisement We call upon parliament’s newly elected education committee to conduct an urgent investigation into these grave matters. Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein University of Reading Professor Erica Burman University of Manchester Professor Ian Parker University of Leicester Dr Shaun Grech The Critical Institute Dr Richard House The Critical Institute Peter Abbs Professor emeritus, University of Sussex Patrick Ainley Professor of training and education, University of Greenwich Priscilla Alderson Professor emerita of childhood studies, UCL Institute of Education Dennis Atkinson Professor emeritus Goldsmiths University of London Professor Jim Aulich Manchester Metropolitan University; Manchester School of Art James Avis Professor of PCET, School of Education, University of Huddersfield Stephen Ball Karl Mannheim Professor of sociology of education, Institute of Education/UCL Bernard Barker Emeritus professor of education, University of Leicester Emeritus Professor Michael Bassey Nottingham Trent University Professor Ann-Marie Bathmaker University of Birmingham Tina Beattie Professor of Catholic studies, University of Roehampton London Lori Beckett Professor of teacher education, Leeds Beckett University Professor Andrew Bennett Department of English, University of Bristol Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya Department of sociology, University of East London Andreas Bieler Professor of political economy, University of Nottingham Professor Michael Billig Loughborough University Professor David Brauner Department of English literature, University of Reading Marie Breen-Smyth Professor of international politics, University of Surrey Roger Brown Emeritus Professor of higher education policy, Liverpool Hope University Vanessa Burholt Professor of gerontology, Swansea University Professor Hugh Burkhardt University of Nottingham and UC Berkeley Professor Diana Burton Faculty of education health & wellbeing University of Wolverhampton Professor Mark Burton Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Peter Buse Head, School of performance and screen studies, Kingston University Professor Catherine Casey University of Leicester Clive Coen Professor of neuroscience, King’s College London; Chair, Rationalist Association Professor Helen Colley Margaret Cox Emerita professor of information technology in education, King’s College London Professor Gill Crozier University of Roehampton Anne Douglas Research professor Grays School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Professor Windy Dryden Professor Richard Dyer King’s College London and St Andrews University Kathryn Ecclestone Professor of education, University of Sheffield Emeritus Professor Tony Edwards John Elliott Emeritus professor of education, University of East Anglia Keri Facer Professor of educational and social futures, University of Bristol Colin Feltham Emeritus professor, Sheffield Hallam University Michael Fielding Emeritus professor of education, University College London Institute of Education Professor Des Freedman Department of media and communications, Goldsmiths University of London Emeritus Professor Frank Furedi University of Kent John Furlong Emeritus professor of education, University of Oxford Michael Gold Professor of comparative employment relations Royal Holloway University of London Harvey Goldstein Professor of social statistics, University of Bristol Daniel Goodley Professor of disability studies and education, University of Sheffield Ivor Goodson Professor of learning theory, University of Brighton Professor Brendan Gough School of social psychological & communication sciences, Leeds Beckett University David E Gray Professor of leadership and organisational behaviour, University of Greenwich Professor Lucy Green UCL Institute of Education, London Professor Susan Greenfield Professor Emeritus Carol Hall University of Nottingham Professor Richard Hatcher Birmingham City University Dave Hill Research professor in education, Anglia Ruskin University Professor John Holford Robert Peers chair in adult education, University of Nottingham Wendy Hollway Emeritus professor of psychology Richard Hyman Emeritus professor of industrial relations Professor Carol Jones Law school, University of Wolverhampton Rita Jordan Emeritus professor in autism studies, University of Birmingham Stephen Joseph Professor, School of education, University of Nottingham Professor Carolyn Kagan Terence Karran Professor of higher education policy Celia Kitzinger Professor of conversation analysis in sociology, University of York Dr Rebecca Lawthom Professor of community psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University Marilyn Leask Professor of educational knowledge management, University of Bedfordshire Professor Simon Lilley Head, University of Leicester’s school of management Professor Ruth Lister Professor Ruth Lupton University of Manchester Morag McDermont Professor of socio-legal studies, University of Bristol Professor Simon McGrath School of education, University of Nottingham Meg Maguire Professor of sociology of education, King’s College London Professor Tim May Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures, University of Salford Professor Martin Milton Regents University London Professor Louise Morley Director, Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER), University of Sussex Professor Emeritus Janet Moyles Early years and play consultant Mike Neary Professor of sociology, University of Lincoln Dany Nobus Professor of psychoanalytic psychology, Brunel University London Mario Novelli Professor of education and social work, University of Sussex Ozlem Onaran Professor of workforce and economic development policy, University of Greenwich Professor Charles Oppenheim Marilyn Osborn Emeritus professor of education, University of Bristol Professor Jayne Osgood Centre for Education Research & Scholarship (CERS), Middlesex University Martin Parker Professor of culture and organization, School of management, University of Leicester Professor Nigel Parton Applied childhood studies, University of Huddersfield Professor Ann Phoenix UCL Institute of Education Professor David Pilgrim University of Liverpool Professor Heather Piper Jonathan Potter Professor of discourse analysis, Loughborough University Ivan Powis Professor of Chemical Physics University of Nottingham Colin Richards Emeritus professor, University of Cumbria Professor Susan L Robertson University of Bristol Professor Nicholas Royle University of Sussex Professor Andrew Samuels University of Essex Derek Sayer Professor of cultural history John Schostak Professor of education, Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Lynne Segal Psychosocial studies, Birkbeck College, London Prem Sikka Professor of accounting, University of Essex Professor Ernesto Spinelli ES Associates Professor Corinne Squire Centre for Narrative Research, University of East London Professor Jackie Stacey Professor Guy Standing SOAS University of London Paul Stenner Professor of social psychology, The Open University Professor Howard Stevenson School of Education, University of Nottingham Richard Taylor Emeritus professorial fellow, Wolfson College, Cambridge University Lyn Tett Professor emerita, University of Edinburgh Professor Harold Thimbleby Professor Brian Thorne University of East Anglia and the Norwich Centre Liz Todd Professor of educational inclusion, Newcastle University Sally Tomlinson Emeritus professor, Goldsmiths London Stan Tucker Professor of education and social policy, Graduate School, Newman University Mathias Urban Professor of early childhood, University of Roehampton Professor Isabella van Elferen Kingston University London Valerie Walkerdine Distinguished research professor, Cardiff University Professor Tim Waller Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Professor J Benjamin C Whitaker Head of physical chemistry, University of Leeds Dr Stephen Whittle Professor of equalities law Professor Sue Wilkinson Social sciences, Loughborough University Professor Carla Willig City University London Hugh Willmott Research professor in organization studies, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University Dr Janet Wilson Professor of English and postcolonial studies, University of Northampton Emeritus Professor Richard MS Wilson Loughborough University Terry Wrigley Visiting professor, Northumbria University Michael Young Professor of education, UCL Institute of Education

it ain't just Osbo who is inumerate

Most of the Tory government is unable to function in the
jobs which they view as their birthright. Politics, that is.

The Torys decided to adopt the results of a gov study,
and raise fees for Uni students. In this way, uni students
are paying all the cost of their education. every last penny.
Most countries realise the benefit to the country of Uni,
and so students usually pay below 20% of the cost,
except in the UK and the US.

Weeehell. It turns out that they made two mathematical
errors in doing this dastardly plan , as if they cared.

Firstly, the money that they would be getting by deducting
tuition payments from tax would be astronomical for
somebody who was earning nearly £100K, which is
thankfully very rare.
(9% of income, per year)

Secondly, the gov have recognised the data that say
that kids just can't pay. The jobs market sucks,
thanks to UK gov austerity. So, the gov is not
getting as much money as it expected.
I guess their next move is to raise fees.

They have already tried to sell of the loan book
for the students to private vultures, which will
mean calls 24/7, bailiffs and court fees.

So , you can see how a country in decline feeds
on its young. That's the US and the UK.

Perfect. remind me. what was the purpose of
uni education, anyway?

checkit: Guardian

Tuition fees: former Tory adviser says government got its maths wrong

Nick Hillman, who worked for David Willetts on student loans regime, calls for action over looming university funding gap

    Rowena Mason, Shiv Malik, James Ball            

    Friday 21 March 2014 20.01 GMT            

    Jump to comments (553)

A former political adviser to the Tory universities minister, David Willetts, has called for a rethink of the tuition fees system and admitted the government "got its maths wrong" by overestimating the amount of student debt that will be repaid.

Nick Hillman, who worked for Willetts during the introduction of the policy, made the comments after it emerged that the rate of default on student loans is now so high that the £9,000-a-year tuition fees system could end up producing zero financial reward for the government.

Speaking to the Guardian, Hillman called for action to address the "big funding gap" looming in the universities sector caused by mistakes in the government's modelling and the fact that graduates are earning less than expected.

Last night, the Universities UK alliance of higher education institutions urged the coalition to open talks with Labour on the issue, saying it was vital to think more carefully about how universities can be paid for.

Under the current fees regime students start paying their loans back once they are earning over £21,000 at a rate of 9% of their salary above £15,000. Ministers originally thought in 2010 that 28% of student loans would never be repaid and have revised this upwards several times. The Guardian revealed Willetts' admission that the true figure is now more like 45% – fast approaching the 48% threshold at which experts say the benefits of raising fees to £9,000 are cancelled out.

Willetts has previously denied that the changing estimates are any kind of "deep defect in the system", saying changes to the numbers are purely a result of people temporarily earning less than expected. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that the universities sector was well funded and the "estimates can and will continue to change".

But Hillman said there was no denying that "the government has got it wrong and therefore there is a big funding gap and something has to be done about it".

He said: "The thing that hasn't really entered the debate yet … is now we know how big the shortfall is, what do you do about it? How much would you need to change the loan system to actually solve the problem? I'm not defending the government. The government has got the maths wrong, plus the economy has changed. The £21,000 repayment threshold is in real terms much higher than the government expected."…

How easy is it for a Minister to sell off his ministry?

This is the incredible story of how the UK was allowing
an idiot minister to ruin one of the most important
functions of society, the education of children.

It's amazing that this discovery was left to a children's
author, but Michael Rosen kicks butt. He went after
the government to get the Minister to reveal what
he did. Still, Rosen cannot get anybody interested
in reversing this bullshit.

Public assets given away, with no titles. Gove stealing
schools under any pretense , from councils and  giving
them to his buddies.
 
I read this story and thought "this is willful class warfare."

checkit: Michael rosen

Gove nicked our schools and handed them to his mates

Further to the question of 'hey Gove, where have the title deeds of our state schools gone?' there is a post on the Guardian comment is free site, in response to the story about Gove's criticism of Etonians in the cabinet.

I offer it with no comment. People better informed than me can judge whether it's on the button or not...

Start: "Since Gove took over - schools all over England failing, free schools being shut down, academy companies being stripped of control of schools

Absolute CHAOS - so why did Gove deliberately create such chaos

Each time a school becomes an academy the council must hand over the title deeds for the school if it has them (avg value £5m per school)

As over 2,000 schools have been forced to become academies that is £10 billion (min) state assets Michael Gove has demanded the title deeds be handed to him

I wrote an FOI request to Michael Gove's department and asked him where are the title deeds to England's schools

After 3 months he still refused to answer - I had to involve the information commissioner who wrote and demanded they answer within 10 days

And now we find out why Michael Gove did not want to answer the reply I got

The department of Education has absolutely no record of any of the title deeds for the school - not in paper format or electronic format

Now as councils held title deeds for state assets safely for decades - and Michael Gove used the Academies Bill to force councils to hand them to him - the Secretary of State For Education -

Where are all the title deeds for the schools Mr Gove

At the end they told me to write to a company the Tory Party Treasurer is on the board of - and ask the private company if they know what Michael Gove has done with the title deeds for state assets

Any good magician will tell you - create a distraction - to get away with the trick

And the trick here is - Michael Gove transferring £10 billion of state assets to private companies - where no payment was received for the state assets - and taxpayers forced to pay over £50,000,000 in legal fees alone to fund the trick

Thatcher sold state assets - Michael Gove gives them away - and some of the companies he gave them away to - just happen to have very prominent Tory party members on the boards - with us even paying all legal fees

Now I live in Scotland - but if it was my school that became an academy I would be writing to Michael Gove right now - and speaking to my councillors right now and demanding to know where are the title deeds for my school - because these schools are state assets (or they were until Michael Gove disposed of the title deeds with absolutely not a thing on record in the Dof E)

that's what you call magic

Now the reality is Michael Gove has set up Southern Cross For Education - where

Academy companies have the title deeds for schools - they can sell them - and then sign extortionate leases to rent them (and the money goes offshore to the Cayman Islands as "excess funds")

Now Gove changed the law to say Academy's don't have to publish their accounts publicly - unlike every other charity in the country

And Gove changed the law to say No Academy trustee can be held liable for any losses

And Gove is currently trying to change the Academies bill to say instead of the title deeds going to " the proprietor of the school" - to "someone associated with the school"

Now does that mean the Tory Party Treasurer, instead of putting your school's title deeds in Ark Schools name - he can instead put your school's title deeds in the Tory Party Treasurer's name

Now if that is not "cronyism" of the most absolutely shocking sort - I don't know what is

Serious investigations need to be asked as to how Michael Gove can have "lost" the title deeds for £10 billion of state assets without a trace - after councils kept them safe for decades!"

 

Proof that Gove messes with curriculum

Those of you in UK know that this country is very
London-centric, and when it comes to politics,
very cabinet-centric.
The UK cabinet gets its fingers stuck into the most
minute details of daily life. So, when we say
"the minister is ruining the ministry", we know
what we're talking about.
One of the best guys for following the Education
minister, Michael Gove, is Michael Rosen,
my "stable-mate" at

michaelrosenblog.blogspot.com

This is what has happened to History, English
and Science, which has stood up to Gove.

checkit: michaelrosenblog

Gove had to listen to the science educators
Today, at a conference of primary science specialists, I got an interesting insight into the uneven way in which education policy is being arrived at. As many people reading this will know, when it comes to the English and History curricula in schools, Gove's fingerprints are all over the curriculum and - more importantly - the tests which de facto determine the curriculum. This has caused advisers to resign, send letters of protest and professional associations have sent written submissions which have been almost entirely overlooked. Decades of experience have been overlooked.
 But what has happened with science.
It does seem as if Gove and gang have been forced to listen to what experienced teachers of science have told them. The draft curricula were rewritten. The science teachers and advisers seem to think that a truly awful document (the draft) has been thrown out and something much better has replaced it, though reservations were expressed about the fact that the notion of 'science' in primary schools was being weighted - perhaps too heavily - towards biology. A bit of a return to 'nature study' some felt....

Engineering-free zone: the UK

why should the UK let a bit of technology
get in the way of their dumbing-down of
the plebs' kids in state schools?

Now, Google give the UK a friendly kick
in the head. I wonder why all the big
software companies are all American.
hhhmmm

checkit: Press Association

..Google boss attacks UK education

Dr Eric Schmidt said Britain must drastically change its education system to avoid …

....The head of internet giant Google has attacked the British education system, warning the country risks falling behind in the digital age unless it makes drastic changes.

Dr Eric Schmidt called for a return to a "Victorian" approach bringing "art and science back together".

Addressing the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, he is expected to say something has to be done to "reignite" children's passion for science and technology.

He praised British television as a success story but warned "everything" could still go wrong.

He said: "If I may be so impolite, your track record isn't great.

"The UK is home of so many media-related inventions. You invented photography. You invented TV. You invented computers in both concept and practice. It's not widely known, but the world's first office computer was built in 1951 by Lyon's chain of tea shops. Yet today, none of the world's leading exponents in these fields are from the UK."

Giving the keynote MacTaggart Lecture, he added: "Think back to the glory days of the Victorian era. It was a time when the same people wrote poetry and built bridges."

The IT boss said the UK has seen "a drift to the humanities" and people were divided into boffins and luvvies.

He said he was "flabbergasted" that computer science was not taught as standard in UK schools, adding: "Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made. That is just throwing away your great computing heritage."

Dr Schmidt is the first non-broadcaster to give the landmark lecture, which is dedicated to the memory of actor and producer James MacTaggart.

Cameron's patricide, or how immoral is Jimmy Carr?

When it comes to criticising a comic about his tax avoidance,
which until loosey-goosey UK law is not illegal, it's not far
for one to assume that David Cameron is criticising his
dead father and the offshore millions which that father hid
in the Caymans.

IshitUnot: 2 texts
Telegraph

Jimmy Carr: 'I've made a terrible error of judgement'

By Hannah Furness | Telegraph

Jimmy Carr has pulled out of a tax avoidance scheme after it was described as "morally wrong", saying he had made a "terrible error of judgement".

The comedian had been exposed as the biggest beneficiary of the K2 scheme, which protects money from tax in Jersey.

In a statement released via his Twitter page, Mr Carr apologised and promised to conduct his financial affairs "much more responsibly".

He told his 2.3 million followers: "I appreciate as a comedian, people will expect me to ‘make light’ of this situation, but I’m not going to in this statement as this is obviously a serious matter.

"I met with a financial advisor and he said to me 'Do you want to pay less tax? It’s totally legal.' I said 'Yes.'

"I now realise I’ve made a terrible error of judgement.

"Although I’ve been advised the K2 Tax scheme is entirely legal, and has been fully disclosed to HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs), I’m no longer involved in it and will in future conduct my financial affairs much more responsibly. Apologies to everyone."

[Related link: Earn interest tax free - the top-paying cash ISAs]

His mea culpa came after David Cameron said it was "morally wrong" to avoid tax using such a scheme.

In response, Labour leader Ed Miliband said politicians should not lecture people about morality.

Mr Miliband said: "I'm not in favour of tax avoidance obviously, but I don't think it is for politicians to lecture people about morality.

"I think what the politicians need to do is - if the wrong thing is happening - change the law to prevent that tax avoidance happening and I think that is the right course the Government should take.

... The tax scheme is understood to protect £168m a year from the taxman in Jersey, with Jimmy Carr as its largest beneficiary.

Speaking at the G20 summit the Prime Minister told ITV News : "I think some of these schemes - and I think particularly of the Jimmy Carr scheme - I have had time to read about and I just think this is completely wrong.

... Today it was claimed that members of pop group Take That had also invested at least £26m in a scheme believed by HMRC to be a method of avoiding tax.

... Chancellor George Osborne has claimed he was left “shocked” after finding the extent to which multi-millionaires were exploiting tax loopholes and vowed to take “action”. [nice bit of acting, George- ]

 2  

guardian.co.uk

Cameron family fortune made in tax havens

Revealed: David Cameron's father built up legal offshore funds in Panama and Geneva

Ed Howker and Shiv Malik

Friday 20 April 2012 22.01 BST Article history 

David Cameron's father ran a network of offshore investment funds to help build the family fortune that paid for the prime minister's inheritance, the Guardian can reveal.

Though entirely legal, the funds were set up in tax havens such as Panama City and Geneva, and explicitly boasted of their ability to remain outside UK tax jurisdiction.

At the time of his death in late 2010, Ian Cameron left a fortune of £2.74m in his will, from which David Cameron received the sum of £300,000.

Cameron and other cabinet members have recently suggested that they would be willing to disclose their personal tax filings amid growing scrutiny following the budget, but this would only shed light on annual sources of income rather than accumulated wealth or inheritance.

how one picture can scare a nation

Does this man look like he's in control of his mind or his sphincter, let alone
the economy of one of the world's biggest countries?




Well, at his alma mater, Eton, there is a statue of Heracles/Hercules
holding one of the heads of the hydra. Herc kept cutting off heads
and they kept growing back.
It sounds like the banks. You just can't kill them. This world needs a Herc.
NOW!