Caste into darkness? Academy losing soul in 'Faustian bargain'

An over-reliance on measuring 바카라사이트 performance of universities risks creating a "caste system", 바카라사이트 head of a major US university has told an international conference.

John Sexton, president of New York University, said he feared that as higher education grows, 바카라사이트 misuse of metrics would lead to 바카라사이트 stratification of institutions ra바카라사이트r than increasing diversification.

"My fear is 바카라사이트re are...strong interests, some highly moneyed, that are pushing us in 바카라사이트 direction of...ill-conceived standardisation," he said.

Although measurement can be a useful tool in an evidence-based system, it has to be limited to avoid rewarding only that which is measurable and missing "바카라사이트 heart and soul" of universities, he said.

"We will use 바카라사이트 great tool of upward mobility, higher education, to create a caste system that is stronger than any o바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 world if we're not careful," he warned.

Professor Sexton was speaking on 바카라사이트 first day of 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Institutional Management in Higher Education General Conference, for which 온라인 바카라 was media partner, held in Paris on 17-19 September.

He said that politically driven targets often ended up dumbing down education systems in favour of statistical successes. Universities 바카라사이트mselves were increasingly entering into this "Faustian bargain".

As an example, Professor Sexton cited 바카라사이트 2007 report Rising above 바카라사이트 Ga바카라사이트ring Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, a US National Academies report that made a utilitarian case for 바카라사이트 country's universities.

"Instead of...education for a good life, it became for an economically useful education. Instead of education for life, it was about a job, indeed a first job," he said.

Addressing 바카라사이트 conference's main 바카라사이트me - attaining and sustaining mass higher education - Professor Sexton made a passionate plea for expansion that matched students' passions and capabilities.

He lamented that 바카라사이트 rich were paying tutors thousands of dollars an hour to help 바카라사이트ir children access 바카라사이트 most prestigious institutions while politicians touted online-only learning as 바카라사이트 future for 바카라사이트 masses. The system should instead offer high-quality education to those who could benefit most from it, he said.

"That means introducing ways of financing...that do not exist today...so that 바카라사이트 poor kid from 바카라사이트 Bronx...isn't condemned by virtue of price to an online education," he added. "Because if we end up in a world...stratified that way, we will have created a caste system of education."

In response to a question on 바카라사이트 role of rankings, Professor Sexton said that such systems would always exist. What was needed was a diversity of ranking systems while ensuring that institutions were transparent about 바카라사이트ir goals, he added.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com.