I completely agree with Vanna on this issue and would add the brain drain to the USA of our science and maths graduates, the poor standard of teacher and nurse that is coming out of universities, the drive to profit which should not be the motive of higher education, the excessive influence of the business sector both within and outside universities, the lack of influence from important subjects which promote hindsight to serve foresight in matters of history, philosophy and politics, the lack of communication and sharing of ideas between faculties... and so it goes.

Universities need to rethink their place in society: Do they impart knowledge and encourage creative thinking for the benefit of that society, or are they yet another profit machine churning out workers who can parrot the text books.

Agree with George here. We also have 38 public funded unis pretty much teaching the same stuff. Time to get real.

Cheryl (or Malcom King),

So what are you getting at, or trying to say?

Should we have less universities or less campuses?

In some universities, a considerable number of students only spend a few hours a week on the campus, and rarely contact their lecturers.

Correspondance students need not set foot on a campus at all, and rarely contact their lecturer. Added to that is the fact that most textbooks are imported and paid for by the student.

So what value is the student actually getting by attending an Australian university?

I hope it is very bad, when it comes, it's the least they deserve.

One of my daughters course mates was having a little trouble with some maths in her B Sc, B Ed course.

After failing for 5 weeks, to be able to contact, or be contacted by a math tutor after many messages she gave up.

She quit the course just a day before she would have been liable for another 6 months hex fees.

As she said, why pay for something the university could not be bothered to supply. She is now earning more in marketing, than she could have as a maths/physics teacher. She reckons sales people are much better at fulfilling their commitments than the 2 universities she has had dealings with.

Well Vanna I suppose what I'm saying is that if the international student numbers fall as we're beginning to see, then the unis will turn to the Fed Government for more money.

We actually have a small population to run 38 unis so some economy of scale could be the answer. There was an amalgamation of many Tafes and unis in the 80s. I suggest we do it again but this time let the unis play to their strengths by creating nation research centres. It no use having every uni teach business and IT. The G8's are doing this already - they can afford to.

The article doesn't take in to account that while international student numbers are in decline, they will probably pick up again dpwn the track, but not to the heady days of the 90s and 2000s.

Cheryl,
I would be very doubtfull that Australian universities will "pick up". Countries such as China and India are churning huge amounts into education, and they will be educating more of their own students.

There is nothing exceptional about Australian universities. They import nearly everything due mainly to the laziness of the staff in producing something unique, and someone could think of Australian universities as being the McDonalds of universities.

As far as reseach goes, a university cannot hire feminists and then expect the public to believe that the university abides by the scientific method, and I think a lot of Indian students have now realised that much more quality research is carried out back in India than in Australian universities.

I would agree with Hasbeen. The quality of education from Australia universities is probably the worst education someone can receive in Australia, but the most expensive.