Can the institutional 'selfcritical academic community' survive?

A lecturer may be conscientious and supportive to students, a great communicator and a star performer, but in higher education that has not been regarded as a sufficient qualification. Since the 1980s in the UK, there has been a repeated insistence at government level that academic staff must have something more to offer in an institution granting degrees and especially one calling itself a university. The 'Lindop principle' which articulated this requirement has been repeated through a series of ministerial statements, and entered the discussion surrounding the passing of the Higher Education and Research Act through 2016 and 2017. The multiplication of higher education providers, and changes in academic employment practices since academic tenure was abolished by the Education Reform Act 1988 have created a widening gap between this theoretical expectation and what is on really offer by way of appropriately qualified teaching to students entering higher education. The arrival of the Teaching Excellence Framework sharpens the importance of the question of who is equipped to teach at degree level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]