GRADE INFLATION, VESTED INTERESTS AND THE FAILURE OF MARKETISATION

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged competition, degrees, employment, featured, government, grade inflation, HESA, higher education, marketisation, media, Sam Gyimah, tef, Tories, tuition fees, universities, university vice chancellors, vested interests.

By Robyn Banks

Grade inflation is back in the headlines this week, with universities minister Sam Gyimah announcing that it will be incorporated into how universities are ranked under the Teaching Excellence Framework. There is statistical evidence to back up this policy change – according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number of first class degrees being awarded has grown by 18% between 2012/13 and 2016/17. Whilst it is statistically true that grades are inflating at the university level, there are a number of issues with the current discourse around grade inflation that are not being properly addressed by HE decision makers.

SHIFTING THE SPOTLIGHT IN THE VC PAY DEBATE

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged academia, academic staff, BAME, BAME academics, diversity, George Holmes, government, HESA, homogeneity, ivory tower, jo johnson, Louise Richardson, media, overpaid, Oxford University, pay, phD, research, researchers, salaries, Southampton University, standard of living, student activism, student life, underpaid, VC salaries, Vice Chancellors, wage gap, wages, women, women academics.

by Robyn Banks

Throughout the summer the debate around vice chancellor pay has continued to play out. Government and media figures have joined students in their long standing expression of outrage at absurd rates of pay, whilst the VCs themselves have come out to defended their salaries, some with a remarkable lack of self-awareness. Oxford VC Louise Richardson recently joined the fray with this startlingly uncaring remark: “My own salary is £350,000. That’s a very high salary compared to our academics who I think are, junior academics especially, very lowly paid.”

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HESA

GRADE INFLATION, VESTED INTERESTS AND THE FAILURE OF MARKETISATION

SHIFTING THE SPOTLIGHT IN THE VC PAY DEBATE

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