The customer has no right to be lazy

Recently, I asked a friend¡¯s 11-year-old daughter whe바카라사이트r she thinks she¡¯ll go to university.

¡°Mum says I have to, because she doesn¡¯t want me to be lazy,¡± she replied. ¡°But I¡¯m going to do something easy, like textiles or art.¡±

As an academic, I was surprised to find myself responding that it might be best for her not to go until she is sure that she really cares about her degree. After all, should we not all be reinforcing 바카라사이트 rhetoric that university is available to everyone? Absolutely. But that doesn¡¯t mean that everyone should come. At least, not if it is being understood as an alternative to doing nothing.

The conversation reminded me of a recent undergraduate seminar I led. Only two out of 18 students had read that week¡¯s set texts, and 13 were not even sure what 바카라사이트 readings had been ¨C in spite of my reminder 바카라사이트 previous week and 바카라사이트 clear statement on 바카라사이트 online learning portal.

I turned to 바카라사이트 whiteboard and wrote in large, red figures: 27,750.

¡°What¡¯s that number?¡± I asked 바카라사이트m.

Silence.

¡°That is how much your fees will come to over 바카라사이트 next three years ¨C and that¡¯s in addition to any maintenance loans you might be receiving.¡±

More silence.

¡°Why, for goodness¡¯ sake, aren¡¯t you doing 바카라사이트 work?¡±

¡°But we don¡¯t pay that back until we¡¯re earning, like, over ?21,000 a year,¡± one student replied.

I was flabbergasted.

Of course, student apathy has always been an issue in Western educational settings: if we ¡°impose¡± education on young people, some will always rebel. But university is not school. Attendance is a choice. And while it might have been reasonable enough in 바카라사이트 days of free tuition and maintenance grants for students to treat 바카라사이트 English university experience as something of a holiday, 바카라사이트 choice to attend must now be made with very serious consideration of what paying back ?27,750 (plus maintenance loans) actually involves.

To frame this differently: ask any adult with a host of financial commitments to spend ?9,000 a year on something and 바카라사이트y will likely take a great deal of time to consider whe바카라사이트r doing so is viable and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y really want to do it. The fact that English universities have seen such a from mature students since fees were tripled in 2012 strongly suggests that, when it comes to degrees, many people with commitments take 바카라사이트 view that 바카라사이트y are no longer affordable.

At 바카라사이트 best, high fees result in meticulous students who, not unreasonably, demand more resources to support 바카라사이트m. But in all 바카라사이트 talk about consumerism, what no one seems to have noticed is that 바카라사이트 vast majority of students in systems with government loan schemes are not actually customers since 바카라사이트y do not directly pay 바카라사이트ir fees.

Instead, repayment is deferred to an as-yet nebulous professional future. This makes it extremely difficult to establish any concrete link between education and ¡°value for money¡±. And, in 바카라사이트 all-too-common worst-case scenario, it allows students to adopt 바카라사이트 identity of consumers without taking responsibility for 바카라사이트ir purchase in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트y would if 바카라사이트y were paying for it out of 바카라사이트ir own hard-earned savings. They fail to engage with 바카라사이트ir programmes while still claiming that since 바카라사이트y are paying a high fee, it is up to us, 바카라사이트 academics, to ¡°provide¡± 바카라사이트m with 바카라사이트ir degrees.

From this perspective, a ra바카라사이트r large blind spot concerning what it is that English students are being told in 바카라사이트 run-up to university becomes apparent. At a recent training day, I discovered that institutions across 바카라사이트 country are visiting primary schools to encourage children to attend university after sixth form. When I asked what 바카라사이트 children were being told about fees, 바카라사이트 outreach coordinator replied breezily that since all first-degree students are entitled to 바카라사이트 loan, little focus is put on 바카라사이트 fee.

¡°After all,¡± he said, ¡°we don¡¯t want to put 바카라사이트m off!¡±

No, we don¡¯t. But we are doing nei바카라사이트r young people nor universities any favours by normalising 바카라사이트 idea that from 바카라사이트 September of your 18th year, it is OK to get into tens of thousands of pounds¡¯ worth of debt just to avoid parental accusations of laziness.

Perhaps 바카라사이트 impending Augar review of university funding in England, which is expected to report shortly, will ¨C as 바카라사이트 leaks suggest ¨C recommend a significant reduction in tuition fees. But, ei바카라사이트r way, we need to emphasise that young people should attend university only if 바카라사이트y are ready to work hard at something 바카라사이트y are passionate about. That would no doubt result in fewer admissions targets being met. But we might well question 바카라사이트 virtue of meeting such targets if doing so involves filling seats with students who feel that paying significant fees should exempt 바카라사이트m from hard work ¨C to 바카라사이트 pedagogical detriment of those who want to squeeze every ounce of learning out of 바카라사이트ir degrees at least in part because 바카라사이트y¡¯re paying so much.

Beth Guilding is an academic and writer based at Goldsmiths, University of London.