The Government Is Being Slammed For Its Decision To Double HECs Fees For The Humanities
"All of Morrison's cronies are soulless ghouls but few seem to openly hate the industries they preside over more than Dan Tehan hates higher education."
This morning, it was announced that the government is going to attempt to funnel university students into “employable” fields by doubling the cost of some degrees and slashing the cost of others.
As reported by the ABC, subjects such as nursing, psychology, and architecture will now be cheaper, with the government footing some of the bill for these degrees.
By contrast, subjects in the humanities will be raised by more than double, making them as expensive as med degrees.
This decision puts increased strain on already suffering university departments. Schools like philosophy, which never received much in the way of support anyway, will expect smaller enrolment numbers, and thus face course cuts to survive.
It also means that prospective university students have much less in the way of choice. Australians should be supported by their government in choosing whatever they would like to study, not being pushed into specific industries in a ham-fisted attempt to drive job numbers.
To that end, the government is being slammed for the decision online.
So – humanities degrees don’t lead to jobs? Tell that to four of the last 8 prime ministers – Turnbull (Bachelor of Arts USyd), Rudd (Chinese studies ANU), Gillard (Bachelor of Arts UniMelb), Hawke (Bachelor of Arts UWA)
— NickdMiller (@NickdMiller) June 18, 2020
i thought i was numb by now, but apparently not. this move against the humanities is so short-sighted and dangerous, and proves just how ideological all the government's recent choices have been.
— Rebecca HarkinsCross (@rharcross) June 18, 2020
kids straight out of high school aren’t ready for the workforce. even if this was brute economics, a broad knowledge base helps them develop the critical thinking that allows them to become good employable worker bees – and good citizens.
— Rebecca HarkinsCross (@rharcross) June 18, 2020
all of morrison’s cronies are soulless ghouls but few seem to openly hate the industries they preside over more than dan tehan hates higher education
— it’s the mitchy & scratchy show (@mitchables) June 18, 2020
I've covered federal politics for 15 years. Sturggling to think of another government policy as nakedly vindictive and self-defeating as this one https://t.co/e4E5djlpkk
— Ben Eltham (@beneltham) June 18, 2020
A conservative government when it realises it can prohibit education: pic.twitter.com/ozmrb6R3k7
— Sam Twyford-Moore (@samtwyfordmoore) June 18, 2020
More than doubling the cost of humanities degrees is sad. They teach critical thinking, research skills, and broaden our worldview. It is easy to rip into them for not being ‘job specific’, but that ignores they are the scaffold to everything we know about our society.
— Daisy Turnbull Brown (@MrsDzTB) June 18, 2020
We will update with more information about the government’s decision as it comes.