1. by Dr Elizabeth Lawrence UCU President

2.  What is Higher Education for?  What do we mean by marketisation and privatisation?  The impact of marketisation and privatisation to date  The Green Paper  Regulation of the HE sector – who can become a university?  Implications for students  UCU response 2

3.  Humanistic values surrounding education  The development of human beings  The education of citizens for a democratic society  Enjoyment in learning  Advancement of knowledge and science  Contribution to a better society, economic regeneration, social welfare and social justice  Preparation for employment (not employability) 3

4.  How is a market created in higher education?  Can a degree be a commodity?  Can education be purchased?  How many forms can privatisation take? ◦ Charging fees/students as ‘customers’ ◦ Selling qualifications, ‘buying learning’ ◦ Outsourcing/sub-contracting of areas of work – catering, security, teaching etc. ◦ Growth of private for-profit providers of Higher Education 4

5.  The impact on the status and role of students – the rise of the customer discourse  The National Student Survey and metrics  Growth in the number of posts with ‘business’ and ‘management’ in the job title  The decline of collegiality and democratic governance  Discourse around ‘business’ not ‘service’  Changes in employment status and conditions for some groups of workers 5

6.  A privatisation agenda – belief in markets  Proposed new regulatory body replacing HEFCE and OFFA with OfS (Office for Students)  Linking of fees to TEF scores  Metrics for TEF- danger of proxy metrics, e.g. NSS scores as a measure of student learning  Increase in number of HEIs, quicker route to degree-awarding powers  HEIs entering and leaving the sector more rapidly 6

7.  Some regulation is needed around: ◦ Right to university title, degree awarding powers and academic standards ◦ Academic freedom and governance ◦ Provision for students ◦ Employment conditions of staff ◦ Finance  How can the regulatory framework support the sector and not create excessive workloads or take major resources away from research and teaching? 7

8.  Minimum size and number of students on a range of degree courses  Commitment to academic freedom and other core values of universities  Minimum number of years of operation before getting university title  The dangers in the rapid growth of a large number of private for-profit providers as stand-alone universities – threat to academic standards and to reputation of UK HE 8

9.  Linking of increased tuition fees to TEF scores  Not all students are geographically mobile and able to relocate to complete studies.  What is a degree worth if the HEI closes after the student has graduated? Does the ‘market value’ fall?  Whose children will go to HEIs likely to close?  How will graduates obtain validation of qualifications or references from an HEI which has closed? 9

10.  Working with allies to defend educational values and academic freedom  Challenging privatisation and the rapid growth of a private for-profit sector  The need to unionise the private sector of Higher Education and improve employment conditions there  Implications of TEF for workloads and pedagogic freedom  Risk of closures of departments and universities– loss of jobs and educational provision 10