Educational Leadership

Presenting a NCSEHE seminar last week, I set myself the challenge of making HE sense of the current frenzy of education-system reviews. Reviews on Performance Based Funding (and PBF’s design for 2020), the reallocation of CSPs for enabling, sub-degree and postgraduate places, the Provider Category Standards and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) don’t tell the whole HE future-state story. There are other big moves afoot that HE ignores at its peril.

Education Minister Dan Tehan has signalled that his first priority is coming up with “a new university funding model that meets two key goals”: a commitment to rural and regional HE, and ensuring HE delivers for the economy. With limited funds available, the tricky issue of finding places for Costello’s baby boom cohorts arriving in a few years’ time remains unresolved. The HE complexity is clear.