people that go to uni can already read and write, most people anyway. A levels, whatever they are now, have already took care of this, gcse's have prepared them for that,
in short i don't agree that all degrees are worthwhile
I personally do not measure success in monetary terms, the thread title came from a comment made during PMQs, I thought you might have picked up on the obvious reference.Andy, you seem to think that I want the proles kept in their place with few if any opportunities, a crude and crass depiction which says more about your prejudices than mine (and don't pretend you haven't got any).
...... - yes British HE used to be world-class (much of it still is) but it also used to be inaccessible to large swathes of the population purely on the accident of birth rather than any notion of merit. Any retrenchment in the size of the sector would have to confront and deal with that fact.
Slackers - interesting model in Belguim I beleive, where free access to all in HE - but you have to pass quite stringent exams each year. Hence there may be c.1000 in first year law lectures (yes that many) but that gets whittle down to c.50 in the final (4th or 5th) year... Let everyone in (at a certain standard) and then only let a certain number progress.
Interestingly the system was similar in Scotland for the degree I did (psychology - no comments please dense), started off with around 600+ and ended up with less than 100, had to get B's or 2:1 level every year to progress. Seemed quite sensible, i assume it bought in money and also resulted in a high level of 2:1's and 1st's, with the benefit of small class sizes by the important bit.
Hmm. Surely you shouldn't really need to be taught how to think, criticise or analyse information and if you do then you shouldn't really be doing a degree course. I remember being given information on a subject and being expected to formulate my own opinions on it based on my own further research when doing GCSE history. Mind you, I had a really good teacher who was removed for refusing to stick to the National Curriculum because he thought it was mindless shite.
I'd like to counter some of the cynicism about the current generation of students. In my experience, the vast majority of students, though perhaps leaving school less well-equipped in terms of independent critical thinking and learning than in the past, are serious about their studies; they are often engaged and enthusiastic. They want to learn, apply themselves, and respond when challenged. Many individuals still bring with them those qualities that can make this job both a pleasure and a privilege.