The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of
further education and
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...
within
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
, with consequential effects on associated matters in Scotland which had previously been governed by the same legislation as England and Wales. It was introduced during the
First Major ministry
John Major formed the first Major ministry upon the resignation of Margaret Thatcher in November 1990, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form the next administration. Major inherited a majority government.
Formation
The resign ...
.
The most visible result was to allow thirty-five
polytechnic
Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences.
Polytechnic may also refer to:
Educatio ...
s to become
universities
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
(often referred to as the "
new universities
In the UK, a post-1992 university, synonymous with new university or modern university, is a former polytechnic or central institution that was given university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, or an institution that ...
" or "post-1992 universities"). A goal of the act was to end the distinction – known as the "binary divide" – between colleges and universities.
In addition, the act created bodies to fund higher education in England—
HEFCE—and further education—
FEFC. Universities in Scotland and Wales which had previously been funded by the UK-wide
Universities Funding Council
The Universities Funding Council (UFC) was a UK body established under the Education Reform Act 1988 replacing the University Grants Committee. It distributed funds provided by central government to universities for the provision of education and ...
were the subject of other acts that created higher education funding councils in each country. The act also removed colleges of further education from local government control, and created quality assessment arrangements.
See also
*
References
External links
Further and Higher Education Act, 1992(for England and Wales)
Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992(for Scotland)
{{UK legislation
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1992
United Kingdom Education Acts
Educational administration
1992 in education
University-related legislation
Higher Education law