A poll of 500 professors resulted in an overwhelming, 96.2% majority against government proposals to encourage the growth of private universities in the UK, even as the first new private sector college to be granted university college status for 30 years was announced, BPP College of Professional Studies.
The University and College Union (UCU) has highlighted the professorial poll to warn minister David Willetts against privatisation plans, pointing out that private universities are not subject to the same academic rigour or public scrutiny – and that their proliferation could seriously damage the UK’s international reputation for the provision of top quality university education.
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said the news could mark the beginning of a slippery slope. ‘Encouraging the growth of private providers and making it easier for them to call themselves universities would be a disaster for the UK’s academic reputation. It would also represent a huge threat to academic freedom and standards.
She added, ‘It is essential that David Willetts listens to our finest minds instead of being wooed by a private sector more interested in profit than probity.’
David Willetts said: “The coalition Government is committed to promoting a wider range of educational opportunities … and matching the skills employers want.’ He added that it was healthy to have a ‘vibrant’ private sector working alongside traditional universities.
