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Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

"What if there was a drug that extended life, made you happier, healthier, and wealthier, and strengthened your relationships?" asks Scott Galloway. "The good news: It exists. The bad news: It's being needlessly hoarded. This drug is higher education." He proposes a program to redirect the funds from now-defunct tuition rebate to top public universities with a directive to increase their enrolment. "The answer isn't which people, but more people." I agree with the sentiment, but not the implementation. I don't think spending more money on universities is the best way to increase access to education, at least, not on the terms outlined here. A 6% increase in enrolment isn't enough; if they want the money, universities should offer access to everyone. A 2% reduction in tuition isn't enough; in other content services price reductions have ranged from a one to two times order of magnitude (i.e., a reduction in tuition from $30,000 to somewhere between $300-$3000). If they won't do this voluntarily via financial incentives, regulate it. Education is too important to society to be left to founder during a time of market failure.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 03, 2024 3:00 p.m.

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