This HEPI blog was kindly written by the Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University and Chief Executive of LSBU Group, Professor David Phoenix.
Has regulation of higher education gone too far? Those in Government would say certainly not and most likely point at the National Audit Office’s recent report on student loan fraud at franchised providers or explain that – given higher interest rates have increased the cost of funding the student loans system in England by £10bn a year – successful graduate outcomes are crucial to keeping the system affordable.
Ask those in the sector, however, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks the current system is working well.
Added to the issues posed by the primary regulators, OfS and Ofsted, many technically-focused universities face further challenges. Courses with accreditation are subject to scrutiny by Professional,
Statutory and Regulatory Bodies – which do not have a consistent approach for engaging with education providers – and apprenticeships and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are additionally regulated by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
