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Iwas delighted to see the University of Buckingham in the elite rank of Britain’s universities, according to the Teaching Excellence Framework. Buckingham received the highest possible award in all six categories, and yet it has just 2,000 students and receives no state funding.
Such an institution, which is dependent on what it can earn from student fees and on attracting charitable donations, can only succeed by excellent teaching. Students want value for money when paying a market rate for their courses, and donors want to be associated with excellence and not failure.
It is a warning to many of the state-supported universities to buck up their ideas, end the self-indulgence, and start providing their clientele with better products.
The Government is still helping to provide too many third-rate courses taught by third-rate people, even in “top” institutions, and it should review whether it is getting value for the taxpayers’ money.