“The issue here is returning university education to what it is supposed to be about intellectual and academic excellence rather than pieces of paper to get jobs”

Well, the former is an ideal, and the latter is a reality; I personally think that the university experience is a combination of both. If the entire tertiary insitution were about academic excellence and not about pieces of paper, the uni would be losing drastic amounts of money due to lack of enrollment, and the students who did choose to attend would have to pay higher fees to compensate.

Fact of the matter is, tertiary education IS a money-making business – an industry like any other. One can argue all they want about free education for all, but in reality university is about distinguishing ones’ self from the crowd through, as you call it, ‘academic excellence’. It is by nature selective – not everybody can be ‘excellent’, and those that choose to be usually have some sort of reason behind it – financial reward chief amongst them. That is why state-guaranteed education only goes as high as secondary school.

By the way, that’s not an endorsment of cancelling certain degrees or of high university fees – I do think that unviersity should be AVAILABLE and ACCESSIBLE to all (rather than FREE), but I do also still think that it should be SELECTIVE based on merit.

Anyway, i’m starting to get a bit sidetracked from the original article by Joel.

James Malthus:

“I think Gibbon does have a bit of a point in saying that he isn’t doing enough for students, and it is possible Joel is spending too much time on his personal politics than serving the students”

You are probably right judging how little has been done on the free printing front and how up in arms everyone is about it. Anyone keen to join me in writing and signing a letter of concern to Joel asking what the status is on this issue? That should keep Tea Bag happy.

who knows? My Academic Score seems to increase the value of my BA (History)… the question is whether the true value can be measured at all…

A+ = 9
A = 8
A- = 7
B+ = 6
B = 5
B- = 4
C+ = 3
C = 2
C- = 1

All you do is average your total. Simple.

talk is cheap motherfuckers!

Tea Bag

Same could be said about our MP’s too with regards to the whole of society.

It is? I didn’t know that.
(not being facetious by the way)

Now hang on a minute. Whilst I personally don’t agree with Joel’s political views and will argue against them, isn’t it the responsibility of any elected official to present their own views?

I understand there’s a difference between presenting and pushing, but from what i’ve heard and seen I don’t consider Joel to be pushing socialism on anyone. It’s his right to represent issues from his viewpoints if he so wishes, as it is ours to disagree with him if we choose.

Having said that, I agree with Jackson that the ‘working class’ is merely a limited subset of all taxpayers. Furthermore, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we owe them our ‘allegiance’ – that’s like saying every time I make a claim on ACC, or have my life saved by a doctor, or have my house saved by firemen, I should thank the taxpayers rather than the people who actually did the work. Sure the money comes from the taxpayers, but it is the state that chooses how to disseminate it and its recipients who decide how best to utilise it.

Matt.