Saturday Evening Posts Worth Reading.
Bears in Woods edition…
Alison Saunders lets the Police into a little secret as the CPS disappear under a pile of 267 files….
Hard to follow that one, but a worthy attempt by Moor Larkin who discovers that Dame Smith dismissed 34 of Leisha’s claims of sexual abuse by various men for ‘lack of evidence’ – but accepts that she was abused by the 35th. Jimmy Savile naturally.
Joanna Williams – Students get stressed…
- Fat Steve
May 15, 2016 at 10:27 am -
Three really interesting links ….hat off to you Moor for your piece
As to student stress ,one might spare a moment for the stress suffered by parents who fund their children through University …..my son finished his first degree this week and the three years cost marginally more than £100k ….out of taxed income of course .- Don Cox
May 15, 2016 at 10:52 am -
Taking the family income as a whole, that could be covered by him earning £10,000 a year more for ten years, which is not unlikely.
But the basic problem is that too high a proportion of young people now go to universities for the cost to be completely covered by taxes. When only 10% went to a university, it was reasonable to charge the whole cost to the taxpayer, because of the benefit of having highly trained people available. But now, taxes would have to go up substantially to make university free for all.
Most students now do their bit by working in term time as well as studying.
- Don Cox
- Hadleigh Fan
May 15, 2016 at 11:14 am -
As to whether the state got value for money when 10% or less of those eligible followed Higher Education, one can argue for or against. Sure, appropriately qualified people are a plus for society if they contribute to the economy: engineers and scientists clearly. But don’t actors and singers contribute too? And what is the benefit of having writers and philosophers? Surely positive for society as a whole. Today, is a burger flipper better or worse for having a degree in Media Studies? Or is it only essential that they can read and write? What, ultimately, is the benefit of education?
As for me, I wonder what is the financial benefit to an individual having a £100k debt? £10k p.a. for 10 years doesn’t begin to cover it – you’ll be paying a lot more with interest, and frankly, is that extra guaranteed?
The problem for the student is that the education is dumbed down: higher student to staff ratios, more money to support University bureaucracies, maintenance of political correctness …
- Fat Steve
May 15, 2016 at 12:13 pm -
@ Hadleigh Fan I tend to agree with you rather strongly…… its why my wife an I struggled to pay for non vocational arts degrees for our children ….. something a little more challenging than media studies but not of immediate utility in a profession. Unsurprisingly to us but odd to some perhaps, both have gained relatively easy entry into professional employment ……liberal arts degrees are highly valued perhaps because there is a big difference between an education and a training and those that are educated preferably broadly have much to contribute to a profession and to Society….perhaps the intellectual confidence and stature to challenge shibboleths …..the CPS could do with an influx of non linear and non mechanistic thinkers to challenge their smug and self satisfied monodimensional approach to prosecutions….. a few other institutions come to mind such as local government….but there is another point that I think is overlooked and that is that ones University days like ones childhood might better be looked upon as an opportunity to be seized and enjoyed rather than an obstacle course (of exams and money) to be traversed …..I know we have been fortunate to be able to afford to pay our children’s way …..more than fortunate ……but having done so I genuinely regret that some of their peers have been less fortunate …..both they and Society have missed out on a great opportunity and I suggest thee world is and will be poorer for it
- Fat Steve
- The Blocked Dwarf
May 15, 2016 at 12:47 pm -
big difference between an education and a training
Indeed, younger Brer Dwarf attended Uni for ‘Anglo-saxon, Celtic & Norse’. I recall ‘questioning’ (ie mercilessly taking the piss) the relevance and future job prospects of his choice of degree at the time and his answer was pretty much that phrase…wrapped round 4 knuckles-in that brotherly way of younger brothers saddled with less intelligent older ones (me). Of course now I know he was right, Employers will always assume that anyone who can translate Beowulf whilst half cut on Merrydown and dope, can probably spell, compose a letter in comprehensible English and may even be able to do simple mental arthritic.Or as I once put it at a job interview ‘if I can get my head around German grammar , have self taught myself to read Luther in the original, then I reckon I can probably figure out shipping goods in accordance with EEC freight/customs regulations’
- Fat Steve
May 15, 2016 at 5:18 pm -
@Blocked Dwarf
We share more in common than just a liking for Turkish Leaf ……my esteemed son’s passion is Anglo Saxon and I read his dissertation this week on an obscure Anglo Saxon poem …..I understood about one third but hell the resr of it seemed clever ……and oddly enough the cost of his degree seemed justified just because the subject sparked passion in him…..he hasn’t graduated yet so i don’t know what class of Degree he will get but he has already secured the offer of a good Graduate Traineeship and they will wait till he has finished his Masters ……He got the traineeship less because he is bright but more I think because he has breadth and enthusiasm ……an appetite for intellectual challenge in whatever form it might take rather than just applying rules learny by rote.
And yes we share an interest in German Culture ….Darling daughter speaks it fluently (I suggested she learn it as an extra).
If one looks about a bit ….I remember a piece by you about first encountering Germany ….life doesn’t have to be all mindless and meaningless graft directed only to earning a crust
- Fat Steve
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