Comment on Education and inequality… by richotto

Thats a surprisingly openminded statement and fair play to Ian. This emphasis we have on academic qualifications has developed into a bizarre “arms race” which is bad enough but when people consider 50% or more going to third level as a mark of social progress my eyes just go up. Firstly many people feel forced to take that route now just as much as they are forced to emigrate. Delaying earning does not come naturally. Secondly I’ve heard it quoted that graduates get an 80% premium on average over non graduates. This in my view is largely simple snobbery and is what should be really
criticised by left wingers instead of being effectively promoted as progressive. For example the nurses Union forced the Govt to institute acadamically biased degree status to a nurses qualification instead of the previous in house hospital training qualification route. This was a largely cynical device to screw more money by making nurses appear as comparable to doctors.