Skip to main content

"How did higher education get so broken? Pretty much the same way as everything else. We live amid the wreckage of formerly treasured institutions and services, despoiled by decades of marketisation and neglect."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/25/how-did-australias-university-system-get-so-broken-pretty-much-the-same-way-as-everything-else

@clarice oncemore


How did Australia’s university system get so broken? Pretty much the same way as everything else

Jeff Sparrow (The Guardian)
@clarice oncemore
in reply to Muse

clarice oncemore
clarice oncemore
• •

i'm going to weep, reading this, aren't i? socks pulled up, specs on, i'm going in ;)

thanks for the mention, petal ❤

in reply to Muse

Muse
Muse
• •
@clarice oncemore It's why I left academia twice! I am now skilling up to teach secondary at an independent school that emphasizes democratic and project-based learning! I will be making more money than I ever did at a tertiary institution.
@clarice oncemore
in reply to Muse

clarice oncemore
clarice oncemore
• •
can so dig that 😁 and more power to you!
i once ran a TAFE Koori Unit kinda without pay, back in the day when such was all cool n groovy and the gov gave itself many pats on the back - pity they didnt give enough money for materials and such (which is where my "pay" went. In order to eat etc, i had other jobs at the time). it was a bit fucked, but we got there.
in reply to Muse

clarice oncemore
clarice oncemore
• •
also ^^^ is a good example of why we need a Voice
in reply to Muse

Kenny Chaffin
Kenny Chaffin
• •
This is horrible! And not unlike what has happened in the U.S. Education, Learning, Knowledge should be #1 Priority!!
#1
in reply to Muse

clarice oncemore
clarice oncemore
• •
i'm glad you're on board too, @Kenny Chaffin. i just dont get it - other than the rampant pirateering which this really is. Cut away at education and you get a lot of folk not knowing what's going on or why or what to do; confusion and helplessness leads to bedlam and everything drops, including that beloved money-maker "productivity". It's all very well suggesting "dumb cnts are easier to lead/turn into factory fodder" but that hasnt proven to be so, throughout the course of history.
@Kenny Chaffin
in reply to Muse

Bob Lai
Bob Lai
• •

Although education is an investment, the mistake is expecting a proportional and immediate ROI, when the real returns are intangibles. My graduating high school class produced a murderer and at least one lawyer. The class clown became a plumber, and another high-performing student became a UPS driver.

When you fail to supply teachers/classrooms and overcrowd classrooms as well, you create a 'deferred maintenance' kind of situation. The system fails, and the costs manifest elsewhere (unskilled workforce, crime, etc.)

And all dingleberries like Mike Pence and Vivek Ramaswamy can think of doing is levy punishment and disenfranchisement.

in reply to Muse

clarice oncemore
clarice oncemore
• •

example of government investment: the sculpture course - part of the 3 years for Diploma of Fine Art. We ordered (and received!) some limestone sets (blocks). They arrived in time for semester but another phonecall was needed "Ummm..what are the students supposed to carve the stone with? the plastic spoons?" (which had also arrived).

thaankfully, the mob(s) set up their own homework center with after/before school care and snacking. Then adult ed, classrooms, doctors, nurses, clinics, teachers, financial advisers, world heritage protection areas, rangers, businesses, consultancy, heaps! financed by donations (greater part) and government grants. This has been over the course of 20 years or so and now, even if there are no grants, nothing much changes. it's all here to stay 😀 And they offer their own grants 😁 Education is a mighty thing.

in reply to Muse

clarice oncemore
clarice oncemore
• •
also communication: much of this was helped/inspired by many folk around the world.
in reply to Muse

Muse
Muse
• •
@hubzillar I'm not certain what you find contradictory. Projects can't be democratic? Isn't democracy a project?
@hubzillar
in reply to Muse

Muse
Muse
• •
Actually, perhaps the problem is "an independent school". Independent is not a religious school, and the government does help pay fees in Australia for students wishing to go to independent schools. We have a few independent schools that are definitely for rich families. But the democratic schools are community based, and the one up the street from me is a parent-owned cooperative, where they invest both time and money to keep it running until their children graduate. They frequently have working bees to do things like repaint the buildings.
in reply to Muse

Muse
Muse
• •
@hubzillar Tell that to the farmers who put together my local learning co-op. They would love to be told they are part of the elite, provided that were given that sort of money! Because of their small size they collaborate with other "village schools". I seem to remember that the civil rights movement and the women's rights movements involved a lot of cooperating and collaborating.
@hubzillar
in reply to Muse

Muse
Muse
• •
I had a feeling. I'm originally from the US and until you live here in Australia, it's sometimes hard to understand the odd ways in which things are different. I understand your viewpoint, though. Public schools should be the gold standard, and private schools only exist for special instances that have nothing to do with being rich. One independent school that I have done some work for here was founded because the public schools just weren't prepared to properly help kids who are neurodivergent, have ADHD, anxiety issues, etc. They are awesome kids! But they did need their own space.

Lo, thar be cookies on this site to keep track of your login. By clicking 'okay', you are CONSENTING to this.

⇧