England’s higher education regulator has “paid insufficient attention to the financial risks facing the sector”, imposed “burdensome” data requirements, taken a “distant and combative” approach to relations with universities, and too often “translated ministerial and media attitudes directly into regulatory demands”, according to a House of Lords committee.
The Office for Students (OfS) is handed extensive, biting criticism for what peers see as a failure to address a “looming crisis” facing higher education in a report published by the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee on 13 September, following its inquiry into how the regulator is operating.
The report also criticises the government, saying that it and the OfS – controversially chaired by serving Conservative peer Lord Wharton – “should set out the steps they each intend to take to support the OfS’ ability to operate independently from the government”.
The report says that “serving politicians should resign any party political whip they hold before becoming chairs of independent regulators”, and that the government “should consider making this a requirement”.
