Ah Harry, I'm feeling nostalgic.

Can it be so long since I watched you on the TV Science School as a youngster? Sumner-Miller was my favourite, but you already knew that:

“He who is not stirred by the beauty of it is already dead!”

* * *

In happier days, I was granted a course at university at the age of 40. We conducted our lab experiments into the night, until we were thrown out by the caretaker.

I came away with a new life, a new future, a whole new way of seeing the world.

Cost = $2000. Benefit = PRICELESS.

* * *

Now the Money Sniffers rule. The brain damage caused by Money Sniffing is worse than glue and petrol sniffing. It has reached plague proportions amongst those of us who cannot find gainful employment in some sort of utilitarian vocation. See them shamble aimlessly around in their suits, looking for their next fix.

Now there's a subject worthy of academic study.

If we are moving to mediocrity in universities, some of the causes might be:

-Full fee paying places for students who would not otherwise gain a place on merit.

-The economic rationalist shift to seeing universities as businesses, rather than educational institutions.

-The push for universities to get sponsorship from industry for research, which skews and distorts the research focus.

-The focus on selling education services to other countries at the expense of educating Australians.

-The demonising of academics - who would want to be an academic if you're frequently berated by politicians and the community.

The sooner we move back to focusing on education for its own sake, in the domestic market, and research for the benefit of Australia rather then narrow private interests, the sooner you will see standards rise again.

Dear Harry,

Your article is short and to the point. I agree with all you've said, and more.

I was a student at high school (in the 60's and 70's). I shunned the football and surfing, that was the ethos at my high school, and spent my summers studying for a Commonwealth Scholarship (so that I could get to University). In fact, one memorable holiday period was spent at your Dept (Physics at the Uni of Sydney)!

I gained that scholarship, only to be utterly disappointed at the lack of employment prospects when I graduated. I trained as an electical engineer and found that most of the work available was as a technician.

Sadly this state of affairs has only deteriorated. I remember that in the mid 1980's we actually designed, and built, in Australia (yes, nearly all of the components too, including the semiconductors) a laptop PC ! As evidence of our deterioration in technology, this would not be possible today.

Why is this? Simply because we do not educate people well enough. Ours is a football/beer/reality TV culture !! The tall poppy syndrome is simply an expression of the churlish envy of those who wish to use their brains to achieve.

Pretty simple, aint it? If we educate the population then we might have a more sustainable economy (when we've dug it all out of the ground)! ... Then McDonalds will have to employ migrant workers (oops they're already doing that aren't they?)

None of your assertions are backed up by any research.

Ironic, isn't it?

My personal experience and observation bears out what Messel is saying. Having taken considerable time over my university career (working in the real world in between) I completed a Bachelor's degree in 1973, Master's in 1984 and Doctorate in 1999; all in science/engineering and all at reputable universities. It is apparent to me in retrospect that the degree which was of greatest value at the time was the first. The immutable law of supply and demand - with degree factories churning out more supply - has led to massive devaluation of degrees. In 1973 I had a guaranteed ticket to a worthwhile job, today even PhDs are driving taxis! Fortunately my experience gained in the 70s and 80s keeps me in demand.

"turning out an ever increasing number of undisciplined, irresponsible, greedy, often near-illiterate, lawless individuals who don't give a tinker's curse for the country, their mates or anyone else."

Gotta love that young people bashing. It's good to see that the policies of yesterday have made people like me turn out like this.