The 2017-2019 Parliament kicked off with the announcement of several inquiries covering higher education. With an administration trapped in Brexit interia – and with an opposition trapped in a state of general incompetence – it has been the parliamentary committees that have led the continued public scrutiny on the way HE is funded and managed.
Much of the news that Wonkhe has covered over the last year has been drawn from hearings during these inquiries. And you can be sure that Augar and the DfE review have read their findings with interest.
CEC – Halfon
CTC – Nicky Morgan
PAC – Meg Hillier
LEAC – Michael Forsyth
We’re still waiting, of course, for the Commons Education Committee report on Value for Money in Higher Education. This will likely build on the work of the Commons Treasury Committee (Student Loans), the Public Accounts Committee (on the Sale of Student Loans, and the Higher Education Market), and the Lords Economic Affairs Committee (on the Economics of Higher, Further and Technical Education). Though perspectives have varied, it appears that it is the settled opinion of parliamentarians that some big changes need to be made.
What is interesting is that this is being expressed through committee reports rather than the Commons chamber. The Lords have been slightly more switched on to HE matters, but the difficult-to-digest process of Brexit seems to have killed off the possibility of democratic oversight in the traditional sense. We should probably be glad that we have these committees.