Oxford dons reject plan to hand powers to 'oligarchy' of outsiders
Italian Language School in Italy - Learn Italian in Italy Otranto: Visit the town Accommodation in our college and private apartments italian language courses Oxford dons reject plan to hand powers to 'oligarchy' of outsiders
Italian Language Schools in Italy

Oxford dons reject plan to hand powers to oligarchy

Online Italian Dictionary



  Oxford dons have rejected plans to hand over control of the 900-year-old university to business and political leaders.

The bitter row, which has rumbled on for much of the past year, split academics into opposing camps while allegations of dirty tricks and acrimony have shattered the peace of the famous cloisters.

But a majority of members of Oxford's Congregation - the so-called parliament of Dons - rejected the proposals in a postal ballot that has undermined the authority of the scheme's architect, the vice-chancellor, John Hood. His backers claimed reform was necessary to drag the institution into the 21st century and compete with the Ivy League colleges of the United States in an increasingly competitive global market for research and higher education. Those who opposed him said Oxford's historic independence was being lost and centuries-old democratic traditions were being flung away in favour of "oligarchy".

Dr Hood, a New Zealander and former businessman, is the first outsider to hold the vice-chancellorship. He insisted yesterday that he would not stand down. "I shall continue to work unstintingly as the servant of a university with a great past and a great future," he said in a statement.

Calling for unity, he said: "In all the challenges we face as a university, we shall fare best if we are able to work collegially on the basis of mutual trust and respect."

Nicholas Bamforth, a fellow of Queen's College who led the opposition to the plans during a three-hour debate last month inSir Christopher Wren's Sheldonian Theatre, called for both camps to work together now. "Clearly people don't want disruption but I am sure that there are all sorts of useful things that could be taken forward."

He said the dispute had never been about personalities and did not expect Dr Hood to stand down. "We're thoroughly in favour of outside advice but we are not in favour of outside control," he said.

The proposals were sent out to 4,000 members of the Oxford Congregation after the vice-chancellor narrowly lost the Sheldonian meeting. Of the 1,540 postal votes cast, opponents again won, this time by a majority of 543. Under the proposals, which would have had a profound impact on British higher education, Dr Hood wanted to introduce more expert lay members on a new university council. These he claimed would bring objectivity and business expertise to the way Oxford is run.

Modernisers point out that Oxford is in danger of falling behind rivals such as Harvard, which has four times the endowment and can command twice the tuition fees. However, opponents said the reforms ignored the difference in culture between academia and the business world, and neutered the power of the academics.

Speaking after the announcement, Dr Hood said: "I think Oxford is an argumentative place. I think it's a very, very good thing. This university... prides itself on its democratic, self-governance traditions, it prides itself on its academic freedom and, throughout its history, it has achieved outcomes that have proven to be in the best interests of the university through intense debate. All we have really seen in the last period of time is a continuation of that great tradition."

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

                                                                             News by Independent    Published: 20 December 2006
                                 ILSONLINE - Circolo di Cultura Italiana
                         Vico Sforza, 18  -  73028 Otranto (Lecce)  -  Italy
Mobile: +39 329 2956361  -  Phone: +39 0836 801552  -  Fax: +39 0836 805350
                              www.ilsonline.it -   info@ilsonline.it
 Designed by ILS Italian Language School Copyright 2003/2016 ILS Italian Language School
wrestling | Elisa di Rivombrosa | LECCE | business | ministers | mathsschools | physics | leading | schools | pole dancing | Ms Tasker said: "The Government's enthusiasm for encouraging successful secondary schools to expand flies in the face of what many parents say they want for their children." | Sheila Dainton, a supporter of HSE, said: "We must put the brakes on and ask if bigger schools are a move in the right direction or an accident waiting to happen. We urgently need to ask if big is best or whether small might be better still." | In a recent survey of parents in Bristol, most said they wanted small secondary schools with small classes where pupils were known by their teachers. | However, John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents secondary school heads, said small secondary schools might not be able to deliver such a broad curriculum, as they could not afford to hire enough teachers. "There are good and bad big schools - and there are good and bad small schools," he said. | HSE aims to persuade large secondary schools to adopt a more personalised approach to learning, and plans a pilot programme with around 50 schools. Those that have already signed up for the scheme include Wilsthorpe Business and Enterprise College in Derbyshire, a secondary school with just over 1,000 pupils, which is setting aside a designated area of the school specifically for teaching 11- and 12-year-olds in their first year of secondary schooling. | Westlands School in Sittingbourne, Kent, is dividing its 1,600 pupils into three separate mini-schools, each with a separate principal and vice-principal. | Each school within a school has a different name - Norman, Tudor and Stuart - and has around 500 pupils. The only difference in school uniform is that each of the three has a different tie. Ms Tasker said: "No one wants young people to spend their secondary school years as a cog in a machine. Young people's enthusiasm for secondary school can rapidly fade when they are faced with large impersonal buildings, often huge by comparison with the primary school, and inflexible timetables requiring them to move classrooms every hour." | A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said it did not stipulate an optimum size for secondary schools. | Senior civil servants argue, however, that it is important to look at class sizes rather than school sizes. | "Raising standards is our number one priority and we have invested unprecedented amounts in secondary schools, which have lowered the number of pupils per class and raised the number of teachers and teaching assistants," the spokesman added. | "To back this up, we are giving schools almost £1bn to personalise learning to ensure all children have an education that inspires them and helps them to do the best in every subject." |
SITE MAP | ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSES | LEARN ITALIAN IN ITALY | ITALIAN CULTURE COURSES | LEARN ITALIAN IN APULIA | ITALIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL ITALIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL METHOD | ITALIAN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES | BROCHURE
STUDENT'S OPINIONS | ITALIAN LANGUAGE SCHOOLS DIRECTORY
Scuola d'Italiano per Stranieri Σχολή ιταλικής γλώσσας στην Ιταλία SKOLA I KURS ITALIJANSKOG JEZIKA ZA STRANCE Italienischschule für Ausländer Italian Language School Escuela de Italiano para extranjeros Włoska Szkoła Językowa Escola de Língua e Cultura Italianas Ecole de Langue italienne To Be Continued