Howard claims his university endowment fund trumps Rudd’s Education Revolution. The MSM are spinning the Government’s line on this today with suitable murmurings of appreciative oohs and aahs. It doesn’t stand much scrutiny (like much of the piecemeal smattering of budget goodies over the full spectrum of potential voter dissatisfaction and interest groups). It is risible, rather than revolutionary.
Of itself, the endowment fund is not an unreasonable policy, but as far as the tertiary sector goes, that’s about the extent of it. Its main function will be to fund the building and equipping of university facilities to ensure that we remain internationally competitive in the global student economy and keep milking the cash cow of full-fee paying students.
Nothing about staffing, or making it easier for Howard’s battlers to attend. Can you believe it – students on Austudy will now be eligible for limited rent assistance? I have never been able to understand that Howard’s government pays you more to be on the dole than to be a student. And yet another bandaid-sized expansion of TAFE and industry training which cannot meet demand. We’ll fix that with higher skilled immigration levels.
The Government would argue that the revenue generated by full-fee paying students will assist those unable to afford university education. Some bursaries and scholarships for the deserving few. How noblesse oblige.
Rudd is correct in his analysis that this policy will make no difference to improving Australia’s productivity. You need a population educated and trained to the highest standard for that. After 12 budgets of neglect it is too little, too late.
