Towards Autonomy in Further Education Available to Purchase

The inadequacy of our present system of managing Colleges of Further Education was exposed with characteristic vigour and wit by Dr Brosan, Principal of Enfield College of Technology, at the National Educational Conference in December 1966. On that occasion Dr Brosan distinguished between three principles of Government widely accepted by different sections, eg the principle of public trust with control vested in elected education committees, the delegation to, or assumption of, power by full‐time officials, and academic control vested in a collective body of the staff. He selected the latter as the most desirable although he showed himself to be well aware of the initial disadvantages. In this article I am suggesting ways in which we can evolve towards responsible staff government.