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The Quality Assurance Agency, in a recently published report on Manchester Metropolitan University, declares that "confidence can reasonably be placed in the soundness of the institution's present and likely future management of (its) academic standards".

Last year, a few months before the QAA's inspection of the university, a parliamentary committee drew attention to the functioning of its academic board, from which a member had been expelled after giving evidence to the committee. The QAA makes no mention of this incident.

Is it any wonder that so few in the sector take its reports seriously?

Geoffrey Alderman, University of Buckingham.