Australian Universities are Bad By James Reed
I have been attacking the universities for almost a decade now, raising numerous objections to them. Among theses objections is that these places are predominantly mass immigration recruitment centres for the Asian replacement of white Australians, to form a new Class of elites and technocrats, to integrate Australia into the Asian sphere of the New world order. One does not make this up; there was a vast literature about Asianisation beginning when it looked like Japan would rule us, but now out elites have gone the China road.
However, as detailed by Vice.com, the universities have internal problems of their own, well, at least for the suffering students, who have found cost of living issues, and cut backs of staff and resources, have diminished their education, and employment prospects. Some may now venture out into the real world to get real jobs, such as through trades! As I see it, it is all good.
“In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, university students disappointed with their education are questioning if studying is worth the struggle.
Australian universities have been a hallmark of equal opportunity since the Whitlam Labor government abolished fees in the 1970s. The aim was to allow the growing population of young Australians to get a higher education – based on their merit over their money – and without the threat of financial ruin.
“We are all diminished when any of us are denied proper education,” Whitlam told parliament, and the economy for a period gained a highly skilled workforce unencumbered by debt.
But university enrolment growth has slowed, and degree completion is the lowest it’s been in almost a decade.
According to National Union of Students education officer, Xavier Dupe, students cannot juggle studying full-time while supporting themselves during a cost-of-living crisis – and the exorbitant profits made by universities are not trickling down to student learning.
“Most students are going through this right now,” Dupe told VICE.
“We’ve seen that university management has cut hundreds and hundreds of jobs, using the excuse of the pandemic, which has resulted in worse conditions for students and job losses for staff. At the same time, the universities have made huge surpluses, and the vice chancellors have six or seven-figure salaries.”
21-year-old Bachelor of Civil Engineering student, Celine Gironda, has a dream to one day work in sustainability consulting in the mining industry. She moved from her home in Mudgee, in central-west New South Wales, to study at the University of Newcastle in pursuit of a career and the formative university experience Australia’s older generations were fortunate enough to have.
Paying all this money to go here, and we’re getting far less of an education than what I was getting in high school.
But despite being told by her parents and teachers that university would be “everything you wish for and more”, her experience has not matched up.
“As much as I love engineering, the way that university is structured has made me contemplate if it’s worth going through all of this,” Celine told VICE.
Celine said she has been surprised by the lack of support at university. There was rarely time to go over questions, tutors didn’t respond to emails, and assignment feedback has seldom been useful. She often loses sleep trying to teach herself content outside the classroom.
“It makes going to those classes unbearable and not really wanting to continue with it or put 100% effort into it,” she said.
“There’s no relationship between course coordinators and students.”
Kieran Hill, 21, moved from Port Macquarie to study at the University of Newcastle as well, hoping to become a maths teacher. The rising cost of living forced him into part-time study, rather than full-time, so he had enough time to work and pay his bills. But in his fourth year he decided to defer indefinitely.
“There was one semester I did where I kept the full four courses as well as working 20-plus hours a week and I just couldn’t balance having a healthy social life and keeping up with friends, keeping up leisure activities and other commitments,” Kieran told VICE.”
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