Privatisation: The disincentives for University - Further Implications

Source: Royston Cartoons

In the last post I talked about how privatisation of education systems have had a negative effect on overall standards of teaching and research. In this post I will be looking at the further implications that this has on students themselves and not just the £27,000 debt that we are left to pay.

Privatisation of the universities have led the price of our education to sky rocket. Now while many of those in government argue there is very little change, in reality there is a massive change.
Those universities that only attract a small, niche set of students or specialise in a specific subject will likely not to exist in the long run as to put it 'most businesses fail, only few succeed.' This is a problem if we are to diversify education away from the elitist and restricted 'Oxbridge group' then we simply cannot treat universities as if they were business experiments. You don't leave a person's health down to the volatility of the market, so why do the same with a persons education.

So what other further knock on effects does this have? Well, social mobility as it stands is weak enough as it is with a diverse quality of education depending on where you live or how much you earn and what end of the large inequality gap you fall into. By privatising universities, it is not only choice that is compromised but also the social mobility benefits that comes with it. Those that doubt university because of the cost will reject it entirely and we will suffer a real loss of talent. Further if money becomes a prominent component of universities then they will inevitably try to attract foreign students to bring in the most revenue. Now I am not saying that foreign students should not apply, quite the opposite, but rather if there is a shift in focus towards those who will pay the most, then we will ultimately be restricting access from domestic students from lower social backgrounds. (Universities know that those who have the money or if they are an international student then they will most likely to pay in advance.)

So if the plan is to restrict talented and hard working students from applying to university, then I must give it 10/10 for the direction that it is going because at this rate we are prioritising the interests of the few, rather than the many.

Privatisation: The disincentives for University

As it continues to spark up a heated debate among home students, a £9,000 tuition fee is part of the privatisation of many of the state funded/subsidised services. Not only does it restrict those from lower social backgrounds, which I will discuss at a later date, but actually limits the potential of a university.

Source: Schnews

As many Universities are being influenced to run like a business, many positive factors of a publicly owned good will sharply disappear. I argue that such institutions are not businesses and should not act like them. Education as a whole is not a price you can put on but rather something we should invest in through the system of government expenditure, otherwise it would lead to large inequalities and a serious dumbing down effect.

As seen in the past few years, Universities have been led into this mentality of 'competition' or as I like to call it, exploitation. As a result, large cuts in the expenditure have been well on their way in order to achieve the greatest profitability. But maybe there's some hope if the universities pump that profit back into the system...unfortunately not. While unlike a business, a University has the ability to keep its 'customers' unconditionally for a three year minimum period. Therefore, all a University need to do is create flagship projects that look promising in the summer but far from sufficient facilities in term time. Cash-in!

So what are the long-term effects of this? Well as a result many universities have deeply slashed the funding for staff and postgraduate study, whilst also opening the floodgates for even more students. The result, even more overworked and paid less for it, is this really fair? Evidently not.

You may tell me that you really don't care as its not to do with me? This is seriously concerning if you are a student, hoping to be or even an employer. The simple fact is, the less incentives there are for students to go on and research and teach, then ultimately the quality of teaching and ground-breaking research would diminish (the dumbing down effect.) Do we really want to see failing institutions because it cannot keep its optimal potential in the market, or some of the greatest universities begin a process of dumbing down through 'cut and scrimper' tactics in order to survive?

Universities bring more benefit than its cost, so to cut and save from such subsidies may create a bit of ready cash now but overall society's weal
th will decrease.