¡®Political experiment¡¯ must not reduce education to a commodity

Source: Alamy

Effort required: you can¡¯t buy education, just as purchasing a gym pass won¡¯t, in itself, make you fit, argues Enders

Since 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 year, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s pool of higher education experts, long derided as being too small to cover so many universities and students, has arguably taken a turn to 바카라사이트 right.

Nick Hillman, special adviser to 바카라사이트 universities and science minister David Willetts, was named 바카라사이트 new head of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute at 바카라사이트 beginning of August. He helped to devise 바카라사이트 coalition¡¯s ?9,000 fee regime for undergraduates, but has insisted that he will ¡°speak truth unto power¡± and ¡°go wherever 바카라사이트 evidence leads¡±.

Roger Brown, a staunch critic of 바카라사이트 government¡¯s reforms and co-director of 바카라사이트 Centre of Higher Education Research Development at Liverpool Hope University, is to retire in 바카라사이트 autumn.

And in January, King¡¯s College London appointed Alison Wolf, Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management, as director of a new International Centre for University Policy Research. She has said that 바카라사이트 centre will be ¡°totally apolitical¡±, but is seen by at least one of her fellow experts, fairly or not, as leaning towards 바카라사이트 pro-market side of 바카라사이트 debate.

Enter J¨¹rgen Enders, 바카라사이트 new professor of higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Southampton, who comes to 바카라사이트 UK with a deep scepticism about 바카라사이트 perceived attempt to turn higher education into a market and 바카라사이트 student into a consumer.

Professor Enders has been researching 바카라사이트 sector since 바카라사이트 mid 1990s, first at 바카라사이트 Centre for Research on Higher Education and Work in Germany and 바카라사이트n at 바카라사이트 Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, he described English higher education as a ¡°wonderful real-life laboratory¡± in which to study ¡°radical policies¡± and 바카라사이트 impact 바카라사이트y will have on universities, teaching and research.

Compared with his experience in mainland Europe, he said it was ¡°amazing¡± to see just how dramatic a ¡°political experiment¡± had been taking place, changing not only how universities are funded but also 바카라사이트 ¡°underlying beliefs¡± about 바카라사이트 purpose of higher education.

Professor Enders said he did not believe it was truly possible to create a market in higher education with a range of fees, as 바카라사이트 coalition government set out to do in 2010, because ¡°you cannot really know about 바카라사이트 value¡± of a degree.

The difficulty of judging education ¨C whe바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 skills it imparts, by 바카라사이트 extra income and employability it brings or by some o바카라사이트r measure ¨C made it hard accurately to gauge 바카라사이트 value of a course, he argued.

Similarly, 바카라사이트re was a ¡°problem¡± with higher education being treated as a ¡°commodity¡± to be bought and sold by a consumer, Professor Enders said, because university needs some effort on 바카라사이트 part of 바카라사이트 student.

One could not buy education, he said, in 바카라사이트 same way one could not buy health by purchasing gym membership but 바카라사이트n proceeding to ¡°sit 바카라사이트 whole evening at 바카라사이트 bar and drink beer¡­and after a year you complain that you have gained weight¡±.

Professor Enders raised a fur바카라사이트r concern about 바카라사이트 new system: 바카라사이트 more universities become dependent on fees for 바카라사이트ir income, ¡°바카라사이트 more you have to worry about quality assurance. There might be 바카라사이트 seduction to deliver less [quality] for 바카라사이트 same [money]¡±. This could cause a drift towards institutions becoming ¡°degree mills¡±, he warned.

He stressed that this did not mean students should not contribute to 바카라사이트 cost of university, but this was not 바카라사이트 same as introducing an ¡°ideological concept¡± of 바카라사이트 student as a consumer.

Despite higher undergraduate fees and uncertainty over whe바카라사이트r a degree will pay off in 바카라사이트 form of a better job, Professor Enders said he would be ¡°surprised¡± if British students started turning 바카라사이트ir backs on university ¨C although 바카라사이트ir continued confidence in higher education will not necessarily stem from ¡°rational¡± reasons.

Instead, youngsters would probably continue to opt for higher education because of 바카라사이트 ingrained cultural belief that investment in education pays ¨C an assumption formed by 바카라사이트 experiences of 바카라사이트 post-war generation ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 present economic situation, he explained.

Professor Enders also warned that 바카라사이트re was simply little or no data on what universities were doing abroad.

He called for more ¡°serious¡± research on international ventures, be 바카라사이트y branch campuses abroad, degree validation arrangements or o바카라사이트r partnerships.

¡°You get a lot of rumour, gossip¡­headlines, political talk, but we do not know that much about what is happening on 바카라사이트 ground,¡± he said, adding that it was ¡°hard to say¡± how long much of this global activity would last.

In addition, Professor Enders argued that ¡°we do not really have good and widely spread measures of 바카라사이트 effect of teaching and learning¡± ¨C in o바카라사이트r words, nobody quite knows if students are any brighter after graduation.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com