Universities under review, again

If all this were not enough to keep university leaders up at night, almost all have money worries. A previous government considered providing more money to universities by deregulating tuition fees. Universities would be permitted to set their own fees, and the government would automatically provide loans to help students pay them. Given the freedom and flexibility it provides, universities are fervent supporters of this policy. So far, recalcitrant parliaments have refused to pass the necessary legislation-increasing fees is not a way to win votes.

Australian governments, on both the left and the right, cannot help tinkering with higher education. It is nearly impossible for universities to plan when government policies are continuously changing. Most vice-chancellors yearn for a period of benign neglect. Alas, the government has announced yet another review of higher education, so policy instability remains guaranteed.

The latest review of higher education will be undertaken by a high-powered group of experts. Previous reviews have been mainly about money-who gets it and how much. The current Review may wish to go beyond funding and examine the purpose of higher education. What are universities for? Are they achieving their purpose?

The Reviewers might also ask whether an old-fashioned regulator such as TEQSA inhibits educational innovation by forcing all universities to operate within the same set of parameters. It seems anomalous in the digital age that TEQSA is still unsure about the value of digital distance learning. Perhaps it is finally time to drag the regulator into the 21st Century.

Whatever the Review recommends, Australian universities will cope, adapt and evolve with the times. What should remain immutable is Wentworth's historic vision-higher education for everyone with the ability and the motivation. When it comes to creating a prosperous, creative, and just society, nothing is more valuable than an educated public.