Universities have seen a decade of cuts and unfavourable policies under the Coalition government. Here’s what the major parties should be promising now.
The sameness of the way in which universities present themselves is based on a shared view of what they think stakeholders want. Behind the official facade it’s more like ‘organised anarchy’.
At best, when universities differentiate and specialise it can marshal talent and sharpen their focus. At worst. though, this debate can present universities with a false dilemma.
Between 2008 and 2015, the number of disadvantaged students enrolled at Australian institutions increased by 50.2%.
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In determining a replacement for the ATAR, it will be essential to consider the impacts of any such change on the school and vocational education systems.
Australian universities should explore ways of working with Indian institutions.
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Australia will face stiff competition from other countries, such as the US and UK, so it must have a clear strategy for how to deepen its engagement with India’s higher education sector.
The new government’s existing research policy framework is pretty thin.
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Liberal higher education policy is obscure; perhaps deliberately so. But the conclusion is clear. Unless students are required to pay significantly more, universities will face major cuts.
Kim Carr (left) and Christopher Pyne (right) debating on innovation at the National Press Club.
ABC
The main failure of university expansion is the unwillingness to fund it. Costs are certainly escalating, but priorities are always political as well as financial.
Under a demand driven system, poor students are finding more opportunities to attend university.
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While on the face of it a 1.5% increase in the number of disadvantaged students going to university might seem minimal, in real terms this is genuinely significant.
Labor said they would establish Commonwealth Institutes of Higher Education at ten sites across Australia.
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Labor’s policy essentially creates a new layer of tertiary education that would involve universities and TAFE Institutes working together to deliver associate degrees and advanced diplomas.