英國高教界的兩個震撼彈：Browne Report 與 CSR

十月，英國高教界出現兩個震撼彈，第一個是10/12出版的 Browne Report，另一個是10/20公布的Comprehensive Spending Review…

Browne Report 該報告針對高等教育的經費規劃提出建言，主張取消學費上限、導入學費市場差異化、以強化優秀大學集資能力，也減少政府負擔。為了讓學生付得起學費，該報告設計了一套複雜的學生貸款。簡單說，就是學生求學時先以貸款支付，畢業後也先不用還，等到年收入達兩萬一千英鎊以上，才需開始償還（定比率償還薪資的9%)，直到還清本金利息的一天。如果畢業三十年後，還沒有還完，也就一筆勾消。

至於 Comprehensive Spending Review ，就是新聞上報導的「血腥刪減」。依其規劃，高等教育經費2015年前將減支40%。由於科學、技術、工程、數學⋯⋯這些科目被視為「對未來經濟前景」有關鍵地位，獲得了保障，所以首當其衝的，將會是社會人文領域的教學研究。

這兩個消息，似乎已在英國高教界引起許多討論（甚至恐慌？）。我今天便收到系上秘書轉來的信，得知學校有些人也將在十一月初辦一場「大學所為何事」（What is Universities for?)的公開論壇，討論這些消息的影響。

我收到的信中指陳：

… The Browne Review of Higher Education Funding has recommended that the cost of university education should be paid ⋯⋯for by graduates with fees rising from their current level of £3,290 to an average of £6-7,000 with the possibility of removing the cap on fees and allowing some institutions to charge even higher fees. At the same time, the Comprehensive Spending Review announced that public funding for the teaching of arts and humanities and social science subjects at university would cease. While research funding for universities has been protected in comparison, its distribution will likely be more concentrated in the sciences and those areas that can demonstrate the economic impact of their research. This heralds a fundamental transformation of the idea of a university and has taken place with very little debate. …

參考資料：
Browne Report
http://hereview.independent.gov.uk/hereview/report/
BBC 對該報告的摘要
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11519147
⋯⋯Wiki 對這個報告的專頁
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browne_Review
THES專文討論 CSR對高教的影響
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=413956&c=1

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