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Too Many Students?
Everyone loves to hate the work-shy, tax-dodgers that (allegedly) inhabit universities, but it now seems the education minister wants to know if Northern Ireland has too many students (or too few). 44% of 18-21 year olds are enrolled for full-time higher education, not that far off Tony's 50% target. The question is whether we as a society actually want or need 50% of people attending university, and are there jobs for that many psychology and media studies graduates?
Universities obviously want more students so they can claim they need more money from government, but more students tends to mean higher rates of students dropping-out. The drop out rates for Ulster's universities runs at about 19%. This is roughly the UK average, but still quite a shocking waste and a possibly a sign that universities are already recruiting too many students who would perhaps be better suited to alternative career paths.
Follow up:
Roughly a quarter of Ulster-born students study outside Northern Ireland. Contrary to some claims that this shows a need to increase local places (the logic being that these students are driven away, unable to find a place here) the opposite is true. While some will study away from home just because they just want to explore pastures new while they're young, many flee to more attractive universities on the mainland because they have better reputations. Why do they have better reputations? Certainly part of the reason has to be better recruiting – an apparent vicious circle.
The result? The places that could have been filled in Queen's and the University of Ulster are filled by those next in line by virtue of A-level results – ie those slightly less qualified. This may fill up the spaces and bring the numbers in higher education closer to the magic 50%, but it also results in a dumbing-down of university courses in Northern Ireland (something I've experienced* first hand) – and so the circle continues.
The government have already reached the conclusion that we have too many trainee teachers (in stark contrast to the shortage across the water). With all the controversy there has been over 'top-up fees', was it never suggested that simply reducing the number of student places would be a preferable alternative to tripling the fees of many new students to £3,000 a year?
