On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 15:51:24 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .

Also the political correctness of having a target of 50% of the
population "going to a university".

Political correctness has nothing to do with it. The country is turning to
a high tech economy. The government has to prepare for this. So the other
50%, if it ever gets that high, who do not go to higher education shall be
involved in the basic skills we all know and need. That 50% is a lot of
people.

I think it's highly possible that graduates in future could take their
degree, enjoy the leaving party, and book a one-way ticket to
somewhere else for twenty-five years, after which the debt is
cancelled. We will continue to underfund education and research in
Britain (the former should be funded from general taxation), so that
any lucrative post abroad will seem even better once a graduate sees
the resources available in comparison to our penny-pinching
short-termist approach. Of course, if we didn't indulge in wasteful
excursions like the Iraq war we might have more to spare for something
far more important, namely education. I would also say that Blair
should concentrate on getting school leavers to an educational stage
where they can actually string a sentence together without any
spelling mistakes. Universities are having to cram some basic
education into some first-year students so that they are capable of
following the coursework. I am convinced that the normal standard of
education in the public at large in Britain is abysmally low.

MM