Don’t think there’s a big problem with education? OK, watch this video…

Posted on 20. Nov, 2009 by jon in Education, Education Crisis, Revolution

What happens when you hike tuition on students 32 percent in a single year and cut salaries for some of your best and brightest teachers?

Near riot conditions at Berkeley today.

I haven’t read all of the stories so I don’t want to comment much on what’s going on across the Bay Bridge from eduFire HQ.  But I can say this.  There’s most definitely something going on right now in education.

Students are being saddled with unnecessary debt to gain degrees of questionable value.

Other students can’t even take the classes they need to graduate because of overcrowding and budget cuts.

A nation that prides itself on having the highest quality higher education system is flat out not meeting the needs of millions of students. And there’s a lot at stake here.  Because those students who will drop out of school because they can’t afford tuition or taking empty, meaningless jobs after graduation instead of pursuing their true passion because they need to pay back the huge student loan debts that took on during school represent a tremendous lost opportunity.

To all those who are out there on the front lines fighting to create a better educational system (you know who you are), we here at eduFire salute you.  And to those who are more interested in maintaining the status quo, well, go watch that video again.  The status quo ain’t working and we’re in dire need of change.  I haven’t been blogging much lately in part because I’ve already shared a lot of my thoughts on eduChange and in part because we’re working day and night here at eduFire to actually be a part of that change.

My hope is that what’s going on at Berkeley right now will be a wake-up call to many people that a lot of work needs to be done and that future generations won’t have to riot to call everyone’s attention to the fact that the most important thing that we can do to ensure that we have a prosperous society is to focus on improving the education of our youth.

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  • As a student at UC Berkeley, I'm against these protests. The core issue is the State of California budget crisis. To the protesters:

    •Why cause 118 classes to be cancelled?
    •Why pull fire alarms in buildings across campus to disturb hundreds more?
    •Why do all this without presenting a SOLUTION?

    Now I’m absolutely against police brutality. If that occurred, then those individuals need to be held to account for their actions.

    The UC administration agrees with the protesters that UC needs to remain affordable. So my ask to the protesters and all other readers:

    •To effect real change, partner with the UC administration and, instead of protesting on UC campuses, cause a ruckus in Sacramento.
    •Let’s all continue to devise creative solutions to disrupt the traditional model of education.
  • And when I say "creative solutions"... I mean like EduFire, UOPeople, P2PU, WGU are all doing.
  • stevenhcooper
    Thanks for raising this issue Jon! I think the issue with the UC system tuition raise is one more argument for the privatization of higher education. Unfortunately, UC is bogged down with the high costs associated with tenure, inefficiencies, and a plethora of other bureacractic nightmares. To really illustrate how inefficient they are, consider that the UC and CSU system owns outright with no lease or mortgage payments, more land in CA than any private company and they still can't turn a profit. If I ran the UC or CSU system I'd immediately begin to lease space to private companies in order to reduce tuition.

    Thankfully there is an emergence of eduPunks who are advancing disruptive models in higher education such as Tech University of America, University of the People, and P2P University.

    This is our time to make a difference!

    P.S. - Look forward to learning from everyone their views on the edu bubble that is right around the corner. The price of tuition has been artifically rising over the years, lenders have been bundling subprime loans from students who will never be able to repay their laons, and the volatility in the credit markets are destin to only exacerbate this challenge. Hmmm....I see some similiarities to the mortgage meltdown.
  • Cost has gotten way out of hand! A few years ago, my daughter wanted to go to Wellesley. The tuition was $40K per year then. She ended up going to New College of Florida, an excellent private college that cost less than half.

    Sure with good grades you get grants, but they are not sufficient. Also, middle class parents are too "rich" to receive such help.
  • Hey Melody. Thanks for the comment. One of the craziest parts of that article was when they talked about how tuition at the UC schools is 3x higher than it was a decade ago. If that pace keeps up it means that tuition will be $90,000 a year by 2030...
  • Thanks for the support Jon. I'm a Berkeley student and I'm so disheartened by the price of education right now. Coming from the perspective of an international student, the numbers are even more outrageous, and growing higher now with the hikes. Yes, they say the experience and the degree are worth it... but worth what? $18k/semester? Is an undergraduate Haas business degree really worth over $64,000? I'm doubting it.
    I'm thinking we seriously need to look at or devise alternative sources for comprehensive higher education, because the traditional approach is proving to be a joke.
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