Commenting on the announcement of new amendments to the Higher Education and Research Bill, made by Minister of State Jo Johnson today, Maddalaine Ansell, University Alliance Chief Executive, said:
“These amendments significantly improve the Bill, giving the new Office for Students a broader role to support diverse students with new routes through higher education, and more flexibility. We especially welcome new measures to encourage collaboration between institutions, credit transfer and accelerated degrees. We are also pleased the government has listened to sector concerns about university autonomy, and the way quality and standards will be regulated in the future higher education system. The steps government has taken today to improve the governance of UKRI and protect autonomy in the research system are also very positive.”
The Minister also announced changes to his plans for the Teaching Excellence Framework. Maddalaine Ansell said:
“Extending the pilot phase of any subject-level Teaching Excellence Framework is a sensible step to take – it is crucial that any additions to the TEF add genuinely valuable information for students and applicants and this must be the test for any subject-level options.”
Notes for editors
- Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson MP announced new amendments to the Higher Education and Research Bill during a speech at Universities UK today.
