Australia cannot afford QA drift

CAPA welcomes the announcement by the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) that the Australian University Quality Agency (AUQA) will continue in its current role as the national quality assurance agency until the new regulatory arrangements for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) are fully implemented.  “This decision will offer some assurance that the international reputation of the Australian higher education system will not be compromised in the lead up to the establishment of TEQSA, but more needs to be done” CAPA President, Tammi Jonas, said.

Federal and State Education Ministers agreed in the MCTEE Communiqué released yesterday that “it is crucial there is no break in quality assurance activities in the sector as the new regulatory and quality arrangements take shape”. 

The announcement comes on the heels of comments from opposition education spokesperson Christopher Pyne suggesting that institutions ranked in the Times Higher Education Top 100 should be exempt from scrutiny under future quality and regulatory arrangements.  “The suggestion that certain institutions may be exempt from scrutiny by virtue of their world ranking status is absolutely absurd” CAPA President, Tammi Jonas, said. 

“A robust quality audit framework allows all institutions an opportunity to demonstrate their strengths, identify their weakness and continuously develop opportunities for improvement.  These are just the basics of a world-class higher education system.

“The Federal Government is partly responsible for this sort of ludicrous speculation – in allowing a situation where their rhetoric framing TEQSA as a panacea for all ills is met with a take-it-over first and see approach, and a glaring lack of transparency.  We may yet see more bad ideas gaining currency in an environment where there is an absence of certainty about the most basic functions of TEQSA. Clearly this is not a confidence inspiring message to be sending.

In order to restore confidence in Australia’s higher education quality assurance arrangements, CAPA calls for the following:

·         That the Federal Government commit to TEQSA being governed by an independent board, with an open and transparent means of appointment.

·         That TEQSA be under the stewardship of a CEO or Director who reports directly to that board. Relevant quality assurance experience for any such appointment is essential.

·         That the Federal Government work with AUQA and State Government agencies in developing an open and transparent transition plan, clearly outlining the key functions proposed for the new agency and making them available for public consultation.

·         That interim quality assurance arrangements remain the responsibility of the current agency (AUQA) until the final arrangements for the new agency are agreed and it is clear that the transition can be managed effectively.

“We also note that MCTEE have engaged the Joint Committee on International Education in what is in effect a risk assessment exercise, while they have again failed to directly address the most glaring liability in Australia’s international education efforts, the failure to allow uniform access to concession travel on public transport for both international and postgraduate students. The New South Wales and Victorian State Governments should be particularly embarrassed, being the worst offenders in this area.  We fully expect transport concessions to be front and centre on the agenda at the next MCTEE meeting” CAPA President, Tammi Jonas concluded.