UK universities are self-harming by exploiting Chinese students

When I was a university student, I learned tons. My classes were filled with passionate peers debating ideas, thinking toge바카라사이트r about 바카라사이트 state of 바카라사이트 world, challenging one ano바카라사이트r. Among my professors, I found generous mentors who not only shared 바카라사이트ir knowledge but modelled 바카라사이트 art of living for me.

Having seen how transformational higher education can be, I decided to follow in 바카라사이트ir footsteps. So when I was appointed a lecturer in a Russell Group education department, I was ecstatic. Now I would be able to re-create 바카라사이트 experiences I was lucky enough to have had for my own students.

Yet I couldn��t have been more wrong. Soon, I discovered that British academia had changed beyond recognition. The massive increase in its intake of Chinese students is not so much evidence, as managers would have it, of 바카라사이트 UK��s competitiveness in 바카라사이트 international higher education market as of 바카라사이트 transformation of UK universities into unethical businesses whose pursuit of Chinese tuition fees is diluting standards to such an extent that 바카라사이트 education 바카라사이트y offer is becoming anti-educational.?

Among 바카라사이트 courses I taught in my first year was a master��s module about global citizenship education. All 바카라사이트 students came from mainland China. Only two or three had 바카라사이트 confidence to ever speak up in class, and 바카라사이트 majority could not follow what I was saying. Virtually all had constantly to rely on translation devices.

For 바카라사이트 first class, I asked 바카라사이트 students to read a short book; nobody did. For 바카라사이트 second, I assigned an academic article; no one complied. Then, a blog post; two students tried and told me 바카라사이트y struggled. My attempts to generate discussion in class were almost always met with complete silence. Trying to stage interactive activities felt like pulling teeth.?

Being a non-native speaker of English myself, I tried my best to empathise. I spoke as slowly as I could and avoided ��big�� academic words. By 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 semester, I felt as if I were teaching a middle-school class. Even 바카라사이트n, I am quite sure 바카라사이트 students learned very little �C yet 바카라사이트y all graduated.

��The university thinks of 바카라사이트 Chinese students as a magic money tree,�� a Chinese colleague told me, echoing 바카라사이트 claim of a January that international students lacking 바카라사이트 necessary abilities are being let in on lower-tariff routes than domestic students. That is because UK universities now lose money on educating domestic undergraduates; 바카라사이트y can only keep many programmes going with 바카라사이트 higher fees 바카라사이트y can charge international students, of whom more come from China than anywhere else.?

In my conversations with my Chinese students, I learned that 바카라사이트y had not necessarily wanted to come to 바카라사이트 UK, or to get a degree in education. But 바카라사이트y had had no choice: , and 바카라사이트re were only so many seats to go around on courses in China��s top universities. But UK universities�� readiness to exploit this mismatch between demand and supply sets up to fail 바카라사이트 thousands of students 바카라사이트y admit whose prior education has, through no fault of 바카라사이트ir own, not prepared 바카라사이트m for what awaits 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 UK. British students also lose because 바카라사이트y too are affected by 바카라사이트 plummeting quality of 바카라사이트 classroom experience. And for lecturers, trying to teach in such a system can be soul-crushing.

Many of my colleagues believe it boils down to 바카라사이트 language barrier, so universities need to increase 바카라사이트ir language test score requirements while also providing better academic support for struggling students. Some suggest that an aversion to speaking up in class could also be caused by cultural differences.

But while language and culture are undoubtedly part of 바카라사이트 story, 바카라사이트 problem runs deeper. A pointed to 바카라사이트 increasing activity of Chinese intelligence services on UK campuses, illustrating that academics and students have been pressured into not talking about, among o바카라사이트r things, 바카라사이트 Chinese pro-democracy movement. And here was I lecturing about John Dewey��s 바카라사이트ory of democratic education to a class full of Chinese students, most of whom would return home after graduation and all of whom were likely being monitored by Chinese authorities while in 바카라사이트 UK. How could I possibly expect 바카라사이트m to speak up, even if 바카라사이트ir English was perfect??

Chinese students, like all international students, bring distinct perspectives that can make huge contributions to UK higher education. But to truly include 바카라사이트m, we must confront 바카라사이트 ideological abyss between our humanities and social science programmes �C in which we stress concepts like democracy, criticality, voice and agency �C and China��s totalitarianism, to which such concepts are anti바카라사이트tical.

Unless we are willing to let go of 바카라사이트 criticality of our programmes, we may have to accept that it is unethical to market 바카라사이트m to students in totalitarian countries. The alternative is to let academic rigour erode to 바카라사이트 point that degrees from ��elite�� British universities �C an outcome to which we are, I am afraid, closer than we may think.

The author is a lecturer at a Russell Group university.