Ninth Level Ireland

“A recent speech by the Universities Minister focused on his apparent desire to reduce regulation for institutions: ‘We are in a government that understands the value of autonomy’, Mr Willetts said. Mr Willetts talked about the possibility of reducing data collection requirements as well as the likelihood of universities escaping some EU regulation …” (more)

[Registrarism, 22 February]

“More than 100 young Irish emigrants queued in the chilly London air last night to listen to President Michael D Higgins. Mostly students of the London School of Economics and Political Science, they made an eager audience as the President gave his thoughts on the role public intellectuals can play in the financial and political crisis …” (more)

[Danielle Moran, Irish Times, 22 February]

“Students at Exeter University have been told cross-dressing is offensive to transgender people – but history shows drag has been a part of student revelry for more than a century …” (more)

[Matthew Holehouse, Daily Telegraph, 22 February]

“Universities are increasingly employing data on teenagers’ family and education background to hit tough Government targets to recruit more poor students, according to research …” (more)

[Graeme Paton, Daily Telegraph, 21 February]

“I suspect that no one quite knows what Les Ebdon (above in academic rig) will do as the head of OFFA. In the run up to his appointment I have been torn …” (more)

[Mary Beard, A Don's Life, 20 February]

“Attempts to block the appointment of the new head of Offa, and changes to the tuition-fee regime, make higher education policy resemble an Alice-in-Wonderland world …” (more)

[Mike Baker, Guardian, 20 February]

“Judges in England and Wales have long been sensitive of the boundaries of their authority under the Judicial Review jurisdiction. Lord Hope recently sought to highlight the limits of the judicial role in the Axa Insurance (2011) case, by contrasting it with the focus of Parliament …” (more)

[Colin Murray, Human Rights in Ireland, 20 February]

“The Coalition’s management of the university admissions system is a ‘direct assault’ on the academic quality of higher education in Britain and could do lasting damage to the UK economy, Conservative MPs declare today …” (more)

[Rowena Mason and James Kirkup, Telegraph, 19 February]

“Serious concerns about the donation from the unknown ‘Chong Hua’ foundation were raised last month by several Cambridge academics who feared that Beijing was using its vast resources to purchase soft-power influence at the university …” (more)

[Peter Foster, Sunday Telegraph, 19 February]

“Following the news recently it would seem that the UK is convulsed by a raging battle between religious observers and, in the words of Baroness Warsi, militant secularists. On the same day, the High Court ruled that Christian prayers held before a council meeting were unlawful …” (more)

[Adam Wagner, UK Human Rights Blog, 19 February]

“The rhetorical question is a hollow-sounding device, much favoured by monologuising dons: asked for the sake of effect, it doesn’t feel obliged to provide an answer. Stefan Collini addresses the empty air in his title but then loses his nerve in the first paragraph of his book …” (more)

[Peter Conrad, Observer, 19 February]

“When Professor Les Ebdon was once asked about his university’s lowly position in the national rankings, his response was swift and revealing. ‘It’s a snobs’ table’, he said, which guarantees that ‘institutions like Cambridge and Oxford are always at the front, while newer places bring up the rear’ …” (more)

[Julie Henry, Sunday Telegraph, 19 February]

“… A laudable aim, but doomed to failure at the outset. The reason for this is that the system of post-16 education is fundamentally flawed (as it clearly is), then no ‘Access Czar’, however powerful, can hope to accomplish the vast amount of reverse-engineering required to ensure that universities can cope with failures earlier in the system …” (more)

[In the Dark, 18 February]

“The likely appointment of Professor Les Ebdon at Offa is a step in the right direction – but does not solve the underlying problem. University entrance is in a mess. It is a mess that is damaging to individual students whose potential is wasted, and damaging to an economy which cannot compete without an expanding, well-educated workforce …” (more)

[Guardian, 17 February]

“If the Scottish government implements new recommendations on governance and pay at its universities England will be under pressure to respond …” (more)

[Kim Catcheside, Guardian Professional, 17 February]

“Two teenagers who took the government to the high court claiming that the near-trebling of tuition fees this year breached their human rights have lost their case …” (more)

[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 17 February]

“Poor English universities. No one knows what they’re for anymore. But it’s so obvious! So here’s my handy guide to help you figure it out …” (more)

[PhD Octopus, 17 February]

“The UK Research Integrity Office has welcomed calls for it to be placed at the centre of a toughened research integrity oversight regime in the UK. The call came in a ‘consensus statement’ agreed following a high-level summit on research misconduct earlier this year, organised by the British Medical Journal and the Committee on Publication Ethics …” (more)

[Paul Jump, Times Higher Education, 17 February]

“Growing Conservative anger over the way in which universities may be asked to play a role in promoting social mobility is likely to be reignited by proposals due shortly from Alan Milburn. The former Labour cabinet minister is now the independent reviewer of social mobility and child poverty for the coalition government …” (more)

[Patrick Wintour, Guardian, 16 February]

“Plans to impose penalties on students who pay off university loans early are being ditched, the Government is expected to announce next week. Ministers were considering introducing annual charges of around 5% on payments above a certain limit to prevent wealthier students avoiding interest charges on the new standard 30-year repayment plans …” (more)

[Sam Lister, Independent, 16 February]