Further defilation of Higher Education
Brendan Nelson has brought up a further suggestion of changes to Australian Higher Education. He is now proposing a two-tiered University system, similar to the United States, where students initially go to regional Undergrad Universities, where they will do generalist degrees (such as "Arts" or "Science"). The next tier will be an, "Ivy League" style group of elite Postgrad Universties, primarily with full-fee paying positions. Exceptional (-ly rich) students will be able to get Postgrad positions to obtain higher specialisation.
Firstly, what do you think will be the quality of the "Undergrad" degrees? In preventing specialisation at that level, those degrees will end up like most Asian country degrees - not worth the paper they're written on. It will be like an extra 3 years of "higher High School". Then, if you want a professional qualification, like a Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist, any respectable level of science, or an Engineer, you have to fork out full-fees.
So, Nelson envisages a system where those with the means ($$'s) will have the opportunity to further their earning capacity. Those without will end their education on a lower rung, limiting their professional attainment (depending, of course, on their chosen career). What is this OBSESSION with creating seperate classes? The beauty of Australia and the Australian University system is (was) that it offered relatively universal opportunities for all - based on intelligence (theoretically - the argument about the HSC as a evaluation method is a whole other can'o'worms). This is not class warfare (as they accused Latham), it is the forced creation of an 'underclass' in Australia - and is pervasive through much of the Government's policy.
There are times when I go to sleep dreaming of how I would eviscerate Brendan Nelson. And my neighbour. But thats a whole other story.
Firstly, what do you think will be the quality of the "Undergrad" degrees? In preventing specialisation at that level, those degrees will end up like most Asian country degrees - not worth the paper they're written on. It will be like an extra 3 years of "higher High School". Then, if you want a professional qualification, like a Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist, any respectable level of science, or an Engineer, you have to fork out full-fees.
So, Nelson envisages a system where those with the means ($$'s) will have the opportunity to further their earning capacity. Those without will end their education on a lower rung, limiting their professional attainment (depending, of course, on their chosen career). What is this OBSESSION with creating seperate classes? The beauty of Australia and the Australian University system is (was) that it offered relatively universal opportunities for all - based on intelligence (theoretically - the argument about the HSC as a evaluation method is a whole other can'o'worms). This is not class warfare (as they accused Latham), it is the forced creation of an 'underclass' in Australia - and is pervasive through much of the Government's policy.
There are times when I go to sleep dreaming of how I would eviscerate Brendan Nelson. And my neighbour. But thats a whole other story.
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