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University education in Australia
Mar. 1st, 2006 02:58 pmI just had my first anthropology lecture. In the second hour we watched this documentary on Australian Universites and how they are basically 'degree factories.'
Under Prime Minister Howard, government funding of universities has been cut. In order to get the funding necessary to run research programs, universities have been marketing themselves heavily to international students.
A lot of these international students are from Asia and their english is poor and they have difficulty understanding lectures. But the international students pay all their fees up front and are a great source of income for universities.
(Australian students do not have to pay their fees up front; they can defer their fees, have the government pay them, and pay back their debt to the government once they are earning over $35,000 a year.)
Because these international students pay all their fees up front, universities are trying to cater to them. Thus there have been claims that subjects have been dumbed down and degrees given to those who have not earned them.
(Some universities no longer have economics as a required unit for a business degree.)
But by doing this, universities are losing their integrity and the govenment is taking this as a further reason to cut funding.
Basically it is a vicious cycle.
Also, the government doesn't see the value of arts degrees. Things like business can immediately benefit the economy, but a degree in philosophy really doesn't (except in a round about abstract way). So the government has more reasons to not support universities.
I think the problem is the way in which Australians view university education. It's seen as elitist. In Australia we have the 'Tall Poppy Syndrome': we cut down all the tall poppies aka the people who do well intellectually.
In recent years, more emphasis has been put on vocational education-the trades such as plumbing, carpentry etc. There has been a decline in the number of apprenticeships. But these jobs directly effect the economy - and I think this maybe a part of the reason.
I haven't had the tutorial yet and I know we'll be discussing this more. I just wish the government would realise the importance of universities and the research they conduct and that Australians in general could understand that succeeding intellectually is not to be ashamed of.
I might revise these opinions after the tutorial.
Also, my lecturer said something funny: "Anthropology is not the study of Ants."
Under Prime Minister Howard, government funding of universities has been cut. In order to get the funding necessary to run research programs, universities have been marketing themselves heavily to international students.
A lot of these international students are from Asia and their english is poor and they have difficulty understanding lectures. But the international students pay all their fees up front and are a great source of income for universities.
(Australian students do not have to pay their fees up front; they can defer their fees, have the government pay them, and pay back their debt to the government once they are earning over $35,000 a year.)
Because these international students pay all their fees up front, universities are trying to cater to them. Thus there have been claims that subjects have been dumbed down and degrees given to those who have not earned them.
(Some universities no longer have economics as a required unit for a business degree.)
But by doing this, universities are losing their integrity and the govenment is taking this as a further reason to cut funding.
Basically it is a vicious cycle.
Also, the government doesn't see the value of arts degrees. Things like business can immediately benefit the economy, but a degree in philosophy really doesn't (except in a round about abstract way). So the government has more reasons to not support universities.
I think the problem is the way in which Australians view university education. It's seen as elitist. In Australia we have the 'Tall Poppy Syndrome': we cut down all the tall poppies aka the people who do well intellectually.
In recent years, more emphasis has been put on vocational education-the trades such as plumbing, carpentry etc. There has been a decline in the number of apprenticeships. But these jobs directly effect the economy - and I think this maybe a part of the reason.
I haven't had the tutorial yet and I know we'll be discussing this more. I just wish the government would realise the importance of universities and the research they conduct and that Australians in general could understand that succeeding intellectually is not to be ashamed of.
I might revise these opinions after the tutorial.
Also, my lecturer said something funny: "Anthropology is not the study of Ants."
