Universities serve the economy and TEQSA regulates to protect the HE brand reputation

Noha Khalaf (Melbourne Graduate School of Education) suggests higher education was “repositioned,’ “to support national economic growth” by the Dawkins reforms and that an analysis of content created by the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency demonstrates its primary function is to, “determine the performance thresholds that institutions must meet.”

“The socio-political shift towards conceiving of the national system as a service industry has redirected quality assurance efforts from education to reputation.”

Specifically, she states;

* HE is commoditised as a brand, “built on a reputation for quality”

* TESQA maintains the brand via, “ever-improving performance metrics and (its) efficacy at assuring them”

* TEQSA concern with student wellbeing is to promote and enhance the HE brand

“The socio-political shift towards conceiving of the national system as a service industry has redirected quality assurance efforts from education to reputation. At best this is an ineffective way of assuring the quality of higher education in Australia. At worst, it is damaging the national system.”

Noha Khalaf, “Figured worlds in Australian higher education: figuring out the national system’s unspoken purpose” Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management.