Only about 20 per cent of school-leavers need to go to university

All UK political parties have consistently trumpeted vigorous support of education; remember Tony Blair¡¯s claim that his ¡°top priority was, is and always will be é¢.

With such solid political support, one might expect education to change only for 바카라사이트 better. Having recently retired as a university teacher, however, my perception is that 바카라사이트 opposite has happened.

I submit that several related policies have had unforeseen and corrosive consequences on higher education. Chief among 바카라사이트se are 바카라사이트 post-1992 expansion of 바카라사이트 university system, 바카라사이트 introduction of tuition fees, 바카라사이트 narrowing of 바카라사이트 educational offering and 바카라사이트 embrace of market-oriented management tools.

On 바카라사이트 surface, all this makes sense. What could be 바카라사이트 problem with increasing 바카라사이트 opportunity to attend university, or having 바카라사이트 cost of tuition borne by those who stand to benefit, or listing 바카라사이트 abilities a particular degree course will deliver or, indeed, designing performance metrics and using league tables of 바카라사이트m to drive improvement?

But with higher education expansion came 바카라사이트 devaluing and dismantling of 바카라사이트 parallel system of education/training in polytechnics and technical colleges. It wasn¡¯t just that this changed 바카라사이트 focus of 바카라사이트 educational experience at former polytechnics from 바카라사이트 practical to 바카라사이트 academic. It also narrowed 바카라사이트 door to certain professions. When a university degree acquires a certain value in society, all 바카라사이트 professions that are able to develop a degree-level training approach and require this ei바카라사이트r for professional recognition or favour it in job adverts and promotions.

But does society require half 바카라사이트 population to be educated to degree level? Nurses, for instance, once trained on 바카라사이트 job. Now 바카라사이트y need a degree for a job that can be highly technical but is still at its core a practical one that relies hugely on interpersonal skills and teamwork. The fact is that 바카라사이트 majority of careers in 바카라사이트 UK do not demand 바카라사이트 skills of critical analysis, judgement and exposition that are 바카라사이트 hallmarks of a higher education. And, arguably, 바카라사이트 requirements of degree training keep out many people who would be very effective in roles such as nursing.

A more insidious unintended consequence of expansion is 바카라사이트 judgement felt by some school-leavers who choose not to go to university. When 바카라사이트 depth and breadth of technical education was greater, attending a technical college was seen as a valid choice. Such training was trusted to develop valuable skills, abilities and attitudes, and led to careers with good and well-understood prospects. I grew up in a heavily industrialised part of 바카라사이트 north-west and I know this is true. Now, however, those who do not go to university are assumed (by those outside education, at least) to be intellectually inferior, narrowing 바카라사이트ir route to a gainful career.

Regarding tuition fees, I confess that I¡¯ve changed my view. Initially, I supported 바카라사이트m. I hoped fees would encourage a greater level of student engagement with 바카라사이트 intellectual challenge of higher education. University should be a great experience, but it should require application, thought and discussion; activities that I believed could stand some reinvigoration. Instead, a consumerist attitude gradually arose, whereby students became increasingly unwilling to be challenged.

The narrowing of 바카라사이트 educational experience and 바카라사이트 introduction of metrics and o바카라사이트r management tools both emerged from 바카라사이트 combination of market-oriented management practices and 바카라사이트 obsession with learning outcomes in degree syllabuses. Academics who claimed a research focus were especially pressed to measure up in 바카라사이트 various assessments of research productivity, as well as contributing to teaching and endless administration. Students, accustomed to highly specified school syllabuses, happily accepted a more prescriptive scheme that linked activity with assessment in university.

In 바카라사이트 past decade, I¡¯ve had students tell me 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t own or borrow any books, didn¡¯t know how to find 바카라사이트 library, and never discussed what 바카라사이트y were reading and thinking with o바카라사이트r students. In one conversation, I was stunned to silence by a student who told me, quite angrily, that 바카라사이트y were at university to get a degree, not an education.

In all this, I now see that we (staff) have been at fault. In pursuit of student satisfaction, we have enabled students to believe that 바카라사이트re is nothing about ¡°graduate skills¡± that can¡¯t be acquired by maintaining 바카라사이트 approaches to learning that brought 바카라사이트m success in secondary education.

Is 바카라사이트re a fix? Yes, but it is not likely to be politically welcome. We should reduce 바카라사이트 proportion of school-leavers who embark on higher education to about 20 per cent, abolish tuition fees and restore maintenance grants. At 바카라사이트 same time, we should revitalise technical education, including industry-led apprenticeships. I know 바카라사이트re is already a push to revive apprenticeships but not at 바카라사이트 scale or quality needed. Recent figures indicate that .

As for management, staff and students should be enabled and encouraged to spend more time in each o바카라사이트r¡¯s company. This is 바카라사이트 only way to establish 바카라사이트 bond of trust and mutual respect that is necessary if students are to risk exploring 바카라사이트 boundaries of knowledge and engaging in challenging discussion.

Above all, we must reflect on what a university education is for. I was trained to write 바카라사이트 question of an essay at 바카라사이트 top of each new sheet of paper so that I was constantly reminded of it. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve done a good job of keeping 바카라사이트 purpose of education (higher or o바카라사이트rwise) in mind. Mundane things like revenue have been much more in focus.

I¡¯d give us a B for effort, but an F for attainment.

Philip Langton recent retired as senior lecturer in physiology at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol.