Edyukashon

I know I've talked about education before, particularly university education but let's talk some more. Aside from being a perennial topic for The Economist, the concerns with public universities in Europe are quickly becoming hot election issues there. As one would expect The Economist's take is always that Europe is a waste of time, their universities blow, and a good ol dose of American free market competition could only help (see their recent survey of France, their permanent punching bag). It is always useful to know how the devil sees the world so I continue to read The Economist but the topic of poor university education in Europe is a real issue and I begrudgingly acknowledge some points raised by the devil. It would be absolutely absurd, however, for one to follow in America's footsteps regarding university education.

First off, I am not interested in the rankings game despite their (constructed) growing importance here and abroad. Yes, American universities generally take most of the top 20 spots in global rankings. Point? Harvard, for example, has some first rate profs doing first rate research but not too many undergrads will every meet one of them. Most classes are taught by grad students and adjuncts and anyone who has ever tried to discuss anything with most profs (not all) at the big schools will find their arrogance a deterrent to further discussions. Those rankings, created by giving heavy weight to the academic output of prestigious profs, only mean something when one looks at universities as products and students as consumers; high rankings bring more paying students. This is not education.

Secondly, most American students leave university saddled with a rather heavy debt burden. Education in most European countries is considered a right, access is open to all, and it is free or basically free. There are some problems with this model, I agree, but not the spirit of it. Open access rather than meritocratic competition for university entrance leads to a lot of students who will eventually drop out because university is not for them. This is a waste of resources, I admit. A small amount of fees, like in the UK, means that some thought must go into any decision to attend university. Since it costs some money only those truly interested in an education will apply and attend. The fees also reduce some of the burden of public funding since we in America know only too well that governments hate to fund us intellectuals.

Thirdly, the American model should not by any measure be considered a good idea. It has its perks but it has many negatives that are subtle and difficult to grasp but that have long term detrimental effects. I have spoken of these before. The American model has created a consumer mentality in both students and university administrators. Our undergrads are not smarter by any means (try reading their essays sometime. Sure, we might crank out some good engineers who go on to make beaucoup bucks for big business but the guys can't formulate a coherent argument in a discussion or critically analyse politics, society, or even the 'news'. THAT, my friends, is deadly to democracy- another topic for another day). Education is not to be consumed. On this point the European approach, their mentality on education if you will, is to be preferred. Education is to enlighten the public not generate an income or spur on the economy- those are wonderful side effects. This mindset that all academic output must be geared to what the economy needs is part of a dangerous trend that puts humans and humanity second to the economy. We work for it rather than the reverse. But I digress...

Education cannot be measured and should not be measured in economic terms. To what end can we justify the study of quarks or even Plato's Republic? We can't. Or, rather we can but not by appealing to a discourse of cost/benefit analysis and profit. We could justify it in purely praxiological terms or we could argue for the benefits of 'discovery' that physicists so love. But ultimately education is meant to create thinking individuals, creative individuals, and critical individuals. This is smothered and destroyed by the American model that pushes the university into the economic realm. This Europe should avoid at all costs. Do add exams to your graduate education (they winnow out the weak), do add small fees for undergrads to discourage lazy bums and the educationally hopeless, and do increase the pay for university profs! And maybe make it easier to do research too (in that sense some business ties in research endowments are ok). But by all means avoid the consumerist approach of America. It is breeding only consumers, not philosophers.