The whole process is symptomatic of the intellectual rot created by MBA-think, where chutzpah and illusory self-aggrandisement become substitutes for insight, creativity, genuine innovation and social value.

The core ethic of neoliberalism is the appearance of competitive heroic value without true substance. So a university or school that goes through the motions of creating the appearance of high-value educational brand is competitively favoured wrt institutions where the children is really learning.

Part of the mythology is the simulation of objectivity where none really exists. So grade games are ideal for creating a pretence of achievement. Objective achievement-based evaluation is too much like hard work.