Canterbury must not misuse PBRF

Media Release
16 July 2009
Canterbury must not misuse PBRF

News in today’s Education Review that University of Canterbury is looking to fine colleges that do not have enough research active staff is a further worrying sign that universities are misusing PBRF information, says TEU deputy secretary Nanette Cormack.

“PBRF scores were designed and intended as tools for government funding allocation, not for universities to use to punish individual colleges and the staff within them.”

“Using PBRF data as a proxy for internal management is an abdication by managers of their responsibilities.”

“The reality is that it is not realistic to expect that every college at the University of Canterbury , or any other university, will get high PBRF rankings. For instance new academics can take time to find their feet as researchers, but colleges should not be discouraged from employing bright new academics in case they get hit with future years of $40,000 fines.”

“It’s also unfair to expect recently merged or subsumed units, such as the College of Education, without a history of active research, to be turning out internationally recognised research in a short space of time.”

“If the university’s central focus becomes chasing research dollars it needs to be very aware that it does not let its other role, teaching, suffer. Academics need good professional development opportunities and support to become good researchers, not punishments for failing to live up to overly ambitious targets,” concluded Ms Cormack.

ENDS

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