How mass education is lowering the standard of our universities

Some 30 per cent of American first-year college students need remedial work and the cost to the education system is calculated at $US1 billion annually. One wonders what the cost is to the Australian education system?

Worst still, the problem appears to be getting worse; in California, for example, the percentage of first-year students needing help in English rose from 38 per cent in 1989 to 43 per cent in 1996. In mathematics, the percentage rose from 23 per cent in 1989 to 53 per cent in 1996.

Given that Australian schools have adopted many of the education fads prevalent in American schools, such as 'whole language' and 'fuzzy maths', one wonders what the situation is in Australia's tertiary sector.

Normally, when the problem of falling standards is raised the answer is that Australia's tertiary system has moved from one catering for a minority of students to one where most Year 12 students entertain the idea of further study.

Instead of an elitist education system catering for the needs of the already privileged (as we had during the 50s), we now have a system of mass education where all students, regardless of background, have the chance to undertake a tertiary course.

Ignored is that increased participation does not always lead to higher standards; in fact, as shown by the report Changes in Academic Work, the opposite is the case. Also ignored is the high 'drop out' rate suffered by students in Australian universities.

As mentioned in Andrew Norton's The Unchained University (Centre for Independent Studies), one federal report noted that between 1992 and 1997 some 38 per cent of science students and 39 per cent of arts students failed to complete their studies.

No one denies the importance of tertiary education. Graduates not only earn more and have a greater chance of gaining employment, they also have the privilege of fulfilling their intellectual curiosity and academic interests.

At the same time, if the rhetoric about the 'knowledge' nation is to be taken seriously, then those in charge of Australia's tertiary sector need to embrace reality and ensure that academic standards are indeed 'world's best'.