New men at the top

Abstract

The educational debates of the last decade, from Robbins through Weaver to James, all touch on issues of institutional autonomy and academic self‐government. With the implementation of Circular 7/70 however, the focus of the debate has drifted from the autonomy of the institution vis‐a‐vis the local education authority or the governing body, to the mention of how it exercises its academic responsibility internally. As external controls are relaxed, as responsibility for syllabuses, examinations, and academic development is placed more and more within the colleges, so the myth of the all‐wise and all‐powerful principal or head of department is shattered and the internal policy and decision‐making structure of the college comes under scrutiny. This has already happened in the polytechnics resulting in fundamental changes in the style of management and in the attitudes and roles of the major participants. Inevitably this will come about in the colleges of further education, as staff at all levels become increasingly involved in the formulation of academic policy.

Citation

Stoddart, J. (1973), "New men at the top", Education + Training, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 50-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb001752