University teaching chiefs ‘rarely have education background’

Are the comparisons in this (THE) article valid? To compare PVCs Education who have not conducted educational research to football managers who never played professionally, or conductors who have never played an instrument, is a category error. My experience of PVCs Education is that they all have extensive and successful track records as educators - the comparisons in this article unfairly diminish the significant experience these colleagues bring to their role.

This explains why they take the "transactional" student experience so seriously rathter than academic affairs, as they only really know their own subject area at a distance. Perhaps the roles should go to the head of the staff development unit instead, or head of security if you need to be tough.