This morning, it is worth calling attention to the debate that has been surrounding whether HEIs should be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). At Global BU, we briefly highlighted overlapping issues in a previous Daily Buzz, however there are some great articles out there that really drive the point home as to what exactly are the implications of this debate.
An extract from a Wonkhe article, for example, highlights a few views from different HE groups:
“…the Russell Group calls for an exemption arguing that requests have doubled since 2010 and, on top of existing information requirements, presents an unnecessary burden. Taking the middle ground, Universities UK has called for a review of the rules, including reducing the time limit that a request needs to meet in order to be accepted. At the other end of the argument, the Association of Colleges argues that any institution that receives public money, in whatever form, should be subject to FOI; while Million Plus point out that removing FOI requirements simply because alternative providers are not covered would be disproportionate.”
Meanwhile, Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck Martin Paul Eve, provides his own personal response, with some very good points. He highlights the benefits of the FOA, and that rather than ridding compliance by HEIs because it would put them at a disadvantage with new (profit-driven) HE providers, regulation should in fact include these new providers as well. Eve presents four problems with the proposed removal of HEIs from the FOIA:
“i) the legal framework is complex, and a “public funds” test is not the sole issue involved;
ii) in any case, institutions would remain publicly funded after these changes;
iii) removing institutions from the scope of the Act would not produce a “level playing field” either in the UK or internationally; and
iv) all these aside, including institutions in the scope of FOI brings a net benefit to the country.”
Indeed, with the Government pushing more ‘transparency’, it seems counter-productive to remove accountability and transparency from HE providers.