Tuition Fees, Hard Choices and Richard Murphy

I'm guessing that the whole tuition fee thing is going to flare up into a row. Ho-hum - that's life, I guess. And I don't have a whole lot more to add. Except when I see this from Richard Murphy:

I guess I should declare lots of interests: I have a degree, largely paid for by the state; I have young sons who may one day go to university (but who knows?). I want to live in a civilised society, where learning is valued for learning’s sake. And where all have equal access to it.

Well, let me in turn declare my interests: I have a degree, paid for in part by the state. I have a postgraduate degree (MA) - paid for by me. And I am embarking on a PhD - again, without state help (at least to begin with). The point here is that I want to do something, so I'm doing my level best to make it happen. And, as it stands, that involves a fuck load of hardwork. I'm not going to bellyache too much, but equally I'm not going to rely on (and wait for) a state to enable me to do what I want (particularly not a state saddled with massive debt)*.

As for the idea that there is going to be a society where "learning is valued for learning's sake" - owing to human plurality, this is an impossibility. Simply ain't going to happen. You are always going to find some who value learning for learning's sake, and some at the other extreme who believe that life experience is more important than the learning that can be gained through education. As a result, you will find some people who may be apathetic about others going to university (and even staying in education for their whole lives) but will be damned if their taxes are going to fund that desire.

Murphy, once again, seems to be missing the point. We need to start asking ourselves harsh questions about further and higher education in this country. What subjects should the state contribute towards, and which should be self-funded? Which courses are essential for our society, and which might be fun but ultimately are non-essential? Of course, this is an area where people will have very different personal opinions and some sort of consensus around this highly contentious issue. But that consensus needs to be reached. Because - ever since Nu Labour decided that as many people as possible should go to university - there has been a massive rise in degrees that achieve little more than debt both for the state and for the individual taking that degree. University is not right for everyone, and not everything needs to or indeed should be taught at university level.

In a sense, I agree with Murphy - I value learning for learning's sake. I'm just not sure that the taxpayer should have to pay for that learning.

*Anyone who does want to help, though, should feel free to use the donate button in the side-bar. Yeah, I know, I'm a shameless whore - but I reckon it is better to ask others for money than demand that the state demand it from others through tax.