The earthquake that’s shaken Australia’s university sector in the wake of the Xi Plague is a prime opportunity to deliver much-needed reform to the sector. But the Morrison government is fluffing it.
Australian universities are on their knees, suddenly deprived of rivers of foreign student cash. The growing backlash against China’s influence in Australia, and especially the Drew Pavlou saga, is exposing the universities’ disgraceful grovelling to Beijing’s bullies. Students are realising that they’ve been ripped off. Ordinary Australians are dismayed at what they see as bastions of arrogant leftist groupthink.
If ever there was a time to shake the sector into line, it’s now.
Instead, the Morrison government is fiddling with funding, playing to the peanut gallery – and fumbling the ball.
The Morrison government’s announced changes to university funding have cheered on the vulgarian commentariat, because they’re seen to be nobbling the much-loathed Humanities. But, not only is this attitude sadly misplaced, the unintended consequence is likely to be a rev-up of the Humanities at the cost of STEM.
More students could be enrolled in humanities courses under a landmark shake-up of university funding despite the government’s aim of reducing the take-up of arts and law degrees, two of the nation’s most high-profile chancellors have said.
Robert French and Julie Bishop — the chancellors of the University of Western Australia and the Australian National University respectively — told The Australian the overhaul could have unintended consequences.
Education Minister Dan Tehan’s reforms are intended to push students towards STEM courses — science, technology, engineering and maths — by reducing how much they pay, and leading them away from law, arts and humanities, for which they would need to pay more.
The Australian revealed on Monday that universities would receive less funding to teach STEM courses under the reforms, as changes to government contributions do not make up for revenue lost via student fees.
Supposedly sober economic managers, the Coalition ought to be aware of providing perverse incentives. If they make Humanities a premium field for universities while providing less funding for STEM, just what do they think university management will do?
Besides, while there are legitimate criticisms of the state of Humanities in Australia – as in the rest of the Western world – this changes do nothing to tackle them. The overwhelming leftist bias and groupthink. These are the hard reforms that the government seems too gutless to take on.
More importantly, they are increasingly just as true of STEM as the Humanities. Computing courses are being “feminised”. Sciences tout “indigenous perspectives”.
Even the government’s rationale – promoting courses which are more employable – is flawed.
The Morrison government has also faced criticism for pushing students away from the humanities because statistics show students in those courses have gone on to achieve high levels of employment.
An October 2019 report by the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching found 85 per cent of humanities students, 93 per cent of business graduates, and 95 per cent of law graduates go on to find medium-term employment[…]
Mr French supported the move to push students towards STEM subjects but launched a strong defence of the humanities.
“Humanities is the vehicle through which we understand our society, our history, our culture,” he said. “I’m not talking about the more obscure courses. The mainstream of humanities allows teachers and universities to transmit our history and our society to students.
“The humanities are vital for the work of our political leaders, leaders of corporations, leaders of public authorities. I’m very happy for an emphasis on science, engineering and maths; we should also emphasise humanities.”
David French has, in fact, urged reform where it’s needed before. French trenchantly criticised universities for stifling free thought.
The government would do well to listen to him.
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