World-class research is a primary requirement to qualify for university status among academic institutions in Australia. These new regulations are part of a broader plan from the education ministry to improve the Australian higher education system.
Australia is in the process of implementing a law that would require higher education institutions to meet a certain level of research in order to be classified as a university. The education ministry is committed to safeguarding the Australian interest through ensuring that quality education is guaranteed for each student.
The ministry has already announced the criteria it plans to use in order to determine which institutions qualify to be universities. Universities will be required to have to produce world-class research in at least a third of the programs they are offering. This requirement will rise to 50 percent over the next decade.
World-class research a priority for approval
This requirement is already making some institutions nervous about what it means to them. Although the ministry has emphasized that a majority of the universities will not be affected, tensions were still high as it was revealed about 4 universities will be downgraded once this law comes into effect.
Experts are already speculating over which universities will be downgraded. There is a consensus that most universities that will be affected are private institutions, small universities and also new universities that could not get the funds to invest in research. Among the universities being cited are Bond University, the University of Notre Dame, Charles Sturt University and Federation University which according to Australian Research Council report of 2018, do not meet the world-class research threshold.
10 recommendations for Australia branding
Peter Coaldrake, a former Vice-Chancellor, puts forward 10 recommendations that he argued would protect brand Australia and students’ interest. The recommendations were endorsed by Education Minister Dan Tehan, who said that he would support the universities in their quest to lifting their capacity.
He continued by saying,
So I do not see it as something that this will lead to any universities missing out. What it will require is the government working with those universities to make sure they meet that requirement.
This move has been hailed as a step in the right direction. The recommendations will address issues such as education quality, research, and development in universities and student welfare. Coaldrake also assured institutions that they will work together in ensuring that they meet the standards hence avoiding closure or downgrading of these institutions.
With the call for branding with world-class research, comes a warning against research theft for Australian research universities.
