Is university necessary for all?

I think middle class parents have a lot to answer for. Many of the baby boomer generation never went to university, so to them it is still an elite institution.

Many still believe that the only path to success is through university and that trades are a dirty, low-skilled career choice.

At the same time, many 17- and 18-year-olds don’t really know exactly which course will suit them and they end up just following their friends. University is more like a rite of passage for many middle class kids, just like an OE or getting a tattoo.

But perhaps the biggest cause of the problem is the government. By subsidising 75 per cent of course fees (about $12,000 a year) politicians are making university appear artificially attractive. Interest free loans only add to this problem.

By contrast, if you want to be a builder or a plumber there are only a limited number of apprenticeships and capped funding. It’s little wonder then that so many young people choose university when the government is effectively paying them to do so.

The government is well aware of this problem, and is promising to take more of a hands-on approach to funding courses that are in the national interest. But maybe the answer is not to give up on student choice but to make that choice a little more realistic.

Higher fees might not be popular, but they need to be considered.

Governments have always subsidised university education because of the public benefit it has for society, by making us more civilised and productive (and richer) as a nation. But given the explosion in student numbers and the high cost to society, surely its time to re-evaluate whether the benefit to society really is worth 75 per cent.

Is it really fair that working class families are taxed so middle class families can ensure their children remain in the middle class?

Of course, no politician will have the guts to do this, because students and their parents are such a powerful voting lobby. But the longer this distortion carries on, the worse these problems will get.