White paper heralds more education reform

Further and higher education funding are likely to be reformed under plans to modernise government unveiled this week. The white paper, Modernising Government, published on Tuesday, affects all central and local government services and organisations, most likely including the further and higher education funding councils. Incorporated colleges and chartered universities are likely to escape its direct effects because of their quasi-independent status. The paper aims to ensure strategic policy-making, a focus on users of services rather than the organisations providing them and better efficiency and quality of services.