Overheard on the radio this morning, a protesting student “We gotta have free
fees so we can get a degree and we can get out of Ireland, get a job, and have a
life”.
Hmm. Do I really want to make personal sacrifices (pay higher taxes, take pay cuts..) to help that guy “have a life”? Honest answer – No.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask rather what you can do for your country”, as President Kennedy once said a long time ago in another galaxy far far away..
The problem of fees is a tricky one. I honestly believe that Universities could take a “no frills” approach to cheaper education, and that perhaps this is the way of the future. See for example
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/17/coventry-university-college-half-price-degree
Maybe Michael O’Leary can step up to the challenge? University education costs a lot because the modern university provides so much more than just an education. Perhaps we just can’t afford that anymore.
However I want to teach the best students, not just dumb rich ones (and the occasional bright rich one). So fees must not become a bar to participation in higher education for our cleverest young people, otherwise we all lose out.
Perhaps it would help if we had a Minister of Education who was not so compromised by foolish promises made before the last election. It would be good to have some-one in place with a clear vision and no baggage, who could simply do what was best for the country without having to come up with some elaborate fudge to cover his own political blushes.
Hmm. Do I really want to make personal sacrifices (pay higher taxes, take pay cuts..) to help that guy “have a life”? Honest answer – No.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask rather what you can do for your country”, as President Kennedy once said a long time ago in another galaxy far far away..
The problem of fees is a tricky one. I honestly believe that Universities could take a “no frills” approach to cheaper education, and that perhaps this is the way of the future. See for example
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/oct/17/coventry-university-college-half-price-degree
Maybe Michael O’Leary can step up to the challenge? University education costs a lot because the modern university provides so much more than just an education. Perhaps we just can’t afford that anymore.
However I want to teach the best students, not just dumb rich ones (and the occasional bright rich one). So fees must not become a bar to participation in higher education for our cleverest young people, otherwise we all lose out.
Perhaps it would help if we had a Minister of Education who was not so compromised by foolish promises made before the last election. It would be good to have some-one in place with a clear vision and no baggage, who could simply do what was best for the country without having to come up with some elaborate fudge to cover his own political blushes.
