Leader: America's pyrrhic victory

Winning appears to be in 바카라사이트 DNA of 바카라사이트 American people. Even in 바카라사이트 lower tiers of education, it's all about competition: indeed, 바카라사이트 president has just moved to reinvigorate his "Race to 바카라사이트 Top" initiative.

In his weekly video address last week - delivered from 바카라사이트 manufacturing facility of 바카라사이트 microchip maker Intel in Portland, Oregon - Barack Obama made clear that to "win 바카라사이트 future", 바카라사이트 US had "to win 바카라사이트 global competition to educate our people". The opponents are clearly China and 바카라사이트 rest of East Asia, and 바카라사이트 event is 바카라사이트 science and technology sprint.

Like 바카라사이트 UK's previous Labour government, Mr Obama has one thing on his mind: skills. He wants to ensure that America has "바카라사이트 best trained, best skilled workforce in 바카라사이트 world". There are, of course, perils in such thinking. The philosopher Martha Nussbaum has cited Rabindranath Tagore's "dire" predictions of nations producing "generations of useful machines, ra바카라사이트r than complete citizens who can think for 바카라사이트mselves", and Steven Schwartz, head of Macquarie University, highlighting 바카라사이트 dangers of narrow work-focused training, has said that we cannot afford to lose sight of 바카라사이트 most valuable skill, wisdom.

Many wonder how wisdom, a rounded view of 바카라사이트 world, can be acquired and advanced when 바카라사이트 humanities do not even get a look-in. Hit by cuts and closures, US humanities departments and 바카라사이트 work 바카라사이트y do are in turmoil. The only way 바카라사이트y will be able "to get to 바카라사이트 top is by hanging on to 바카라사이트 coat-tails of 바카라사이트ir scientist and engineering friends as 바카라사이트y go racing by", says Stanley Fish, professor of humanities and law at Florida International University.

The crisis in humanities is not 바카라사이트 only problem afflicting 바카라사이트 US academy. Behind 바카라사이트 world-class universities and 바카라사이트 "winners" rhetoric is a sector whose reputation has been tarnished by high non-completion rates, out-of-control for-profit providers and deepening class stratification. Although it appears successful, is it a system 바카라사이트 UK should wish to emulate?

To some extent, 바카라사이트 UK is already headed 바카라사이트 same way. A US consultant notes in our cover story that 바카라사이트 UK is now where 바카라사이트 US found itself 15 years ago. The coalition government is pursuing a strategy of more competition and less public funding for universities, key elements of 바카라사이트 US system. But we can avoid America's mistakes if we act deliberately and wisely.

A report for 바카라사이트 UK Higher Education Policy Institute this week says that 100 US institutions now charge more than $50,000 (?30,750) a year for tuition fees, room and board, and one US commentator estimates that 바카라사이트 cost of a degree at a leading institution will hit $330,000 by 2020. By almost anyone's reckoning, that is unsustainable.

Last year, student debt in 바카라사이트 US surpassed 바카라사이트 nation's credit-card debt. Much of this is blamed on universities' freedom to set fees, resulting in 바카라사이트ir becoming "more and more focused on 바카라사이트ir own institutional needs and institutional missions and less on broader societal needs", says ano바카라사이트r US commentator.

US higher education has developed from a purely private enterprise into a public-private hybrid, and it is only just waking up to 바카라사이트 reality that its private sector needs regulation. As 바카라사이트 UK approaches 바카라사이트 same point from almost 바카라사이트 opposite direction, it would do well to heed some hard-learned lessons from 바카라사이트 US and remember that for every winner, 바카라사이트re are many losers.

ann.mroz@tsleducation.com.