Proposals to reduce the level of inspections for university courses have led the resignation of the head of the sector's watchdog.

John Randall will leave the Quality Assurances Agency, where he has been Chief Executive for five years, at the end of the month. The move comes after the publication of a report, "Quality Assurance in HE: Good information with a lighter touch", which suggests that inspections of courses be reduced from 100 to 10 per cent.

Randall said the proposals were flawed. "If students are going to commit three years and a lot of money to higher education, they need accurate information on what they are going to get," he said.

Randall has also criticised the Russell Group, an organisation representing the top 19 universities. Although he conceded that the present system of inspection was too bureaucratic, he said: "The Russell Group feel they should have full responsibility for the quality of their provision, but the expectations of society are different".

A spokesman from the Department of Education and Skills said: "The government is concerned to ensure that the interests of consumers are properly protected and will look carefully at the outcome of that process."

Universities UK and the Standing Council of Principals issued a joint statement on Tuesday. It said: "During his time as chief executive at the Quality Assurance Agency John Randall has worked hard to establish a new quality assurance system that demonstrates clearly the overwhelming excellence of higher education in the UK and its deserved international standing. We wish him well for the future.

"We are confident that the new proposals will provide both better public information and a less burdensome process for universities and HE colleges. We remain committed to the delivery of the highest quality education for students and other stakeholders."