Abstract: Lachlan Chipman Making Universities Accountable P e t e r Samuel has argued (Quadrant May 1978) that the steady withdrawal of government subsidies over the next few years is necessary if Australian universities are to regain their autonomy. In this I believe he is probably right. It is already the case that actual or envisaged legislation to create post-secondary education commissions in at least three Australian states will, if implemented, effectively mean the end in those states of university autonomy, at least so far as the academic content of degree courses is concerned. Moreover the federal Tertiary Education Commission has indicated that it too intends to keep an eye on diversification and variation by universities in their 'fields of study' and course offerings. Because universities are now virtually wholly funded by the taxpayer, and because there has lately been widespread public concern that funds entrusted to governments have been spent carelessly or ineffectively, a number of government agencies now wish to 'co-ordinate' the operations of the various elements of the tertiary education sector, both in relation to each other, and also in relation to the secondary sector of education and forseeable manpower needs.
Publication Year: 1978
Publication Date: 1978-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
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