高等教育泡沫
這是一篇上個月在紐約時報網站上Room for debate中討論「碩士學位的價值」命題中的文章。或許大多數人心裏都有譜，文憑與工作表現或成就沒有多大的正相關，雖然在大多數的機關與企業裏，在敘薪與升遷時都考慮到學歷。
在教育普及，知識與資訊相對容易取得的今日，我想人們的心中對學歷的迷思應該會有更多的疑問。所以這個教育泡沫的說法並非危言聳聽，google一下：約有16,700,000項符合education bubble的查詢結果。這個結果還真是令我驚訝！
姑且不論百年樹人的崇高理想，教育本身就是一個很大的生意／產業。看看這篇哥倫比亞大學的馬克泰勒教授文章中所指出得一些關於大學或研究機構的事實:
１資產不斷減少，負債卻不停地增加。
２大部份的成本是固定或持續上漲的。
３收入減少。
４為解決財務問題，大學不可避免的從其客戶身上詢求對策。然而大部份的大學只把研究所的碩士班當作搖錢樹，而且有許多學者無心於教學工作。
５今年的碩士畢業生只有19%的人找到工作。
這只是美國的問題嗎？
這個月(2009.7)18號的報導：今年新增最低登記門檻，53種成績組合的最後5%未達登記標準，算下來，傳統第一類組，至少要77分，第二類組48分才能登記，第三類組要考71分，而最低門檻落在英文、數甲和物理的組合，只要14分，不過採計這三科的校系，錄取分數都遠高於14分。為什麼綠取分這麼低？
那成長力道強勁，被視為這波經濟蕭條救主的中國呢？「中國高等教育正遭遇如同全球信貨危機一樣的泡沫。過去十年間，在政府的要求下，多數由政府控制的大學每年以30%的速度增加招生人數，.... 造成全中國數以百計的大學的債務問題嚴重影響其正常運作。」
美國的問題似乎存在研究所的學程，但中國與台灣在大學這個階段「泡沫」就浮現了。
補計：
根據 2009.9.17 經濟學人的文章，OECD國家大學畢業生平均為人口的36%.
"A change of partners?" in Economist, "23% of young Germans get university degrees, compared with an OECD average of 36%."
The Education Bubble
Mark C. Taylor,the chairman of the religion department at Columbia University, is the author, most recently, of the forthcoming “Field Notes From Elsewhere:Reflections on Dying and Living.”
The next bubble to burst will be the education bubble. Make no mistake about it, education is big business and, like other big businesses, it is in big trouble. What people outside the education bubble don’t realize and people inside won’t admit is that many colleges and universities are in the same position that major banks and financial institutions are: their assets (endowments down 30-40 percent this year) are plummeting, their liabilities (debts) are growing, most of their costs are fixed and rising, and their income (return on investments, support from government and private donations, etc.) is falling.
This is hardly a prescription for financial success. Faced with this situation, colleges and universities are on the prowl for new sources of income. And one place they invariably turn is to new customers,i.e., students.During times of financial stress, people become vulnerable and understandably seek to improve their situation in any way they can. For many, more education seems to be the solution. When the economy goes down, applications to graduate programs go up.
As a life long educator, I believe more education is always a good thing, but buyers must beware. The debt crisis is not limited to governments and universities but extends to students and their families. Far too many students come out of college with substantial debts that plague them for years.
And now the economy makes matters worse. Only 19 percent of the class of 2009 had jobs at graduation. Furthermore, many recent graduates who are young professionals and had been working for a few years have been fired. They find themselves surfing the web looking for jobs, all while worrying about health benefits and repaying their student loans.
This situation has many young people asking whether it makes sense to go back to school to pick up a master’s degree. There is no easy answer to this question and every case is different. When facing this decision, it is important to consider exactly what you need and how the degree will help you.
Some graduate degree programs can be very helpful for certain careers but many are not. And, remember, what is most interesting is not always most practical. Be sure you consider your motives and goals carefully. Do not simply assume that another degree after your name is going to open doors.
I have had too many students over the years who have gotten masters and even doctorates find themselves in debt big time, unemployed and forced to start all over in their mid-30s. If you do find a program that will enhance your prospects for a job and better life, then before your enroll, you need to figure out how you are going to pay for it and, if you must borrow more money, whether you can really afford to take on additional debt. You are going to have to do this by yourself because you cannot rely on people with vested interests in increasing enrollments to give you reliable advice.
One of the dirty secrets of many research universities is that they treat master’s students as cash cows that fund other activities. To make matters worse, with many faculty members uninterested in teaching, students cannot assume they will get what they are paying for.
Bottom line — and much of this is about the bottom line — consider your needs carefully, research your options thoroughly, don’t believe everything you read or hear and invest your time and money prudently.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/what-is-a-masters-degree-worth/?scp=2&sq=the%20education%20bubble&st=cse
延伸閱讀
Is There an Educatin Bubble at WSJ.com Forums
Harvard, Private Equity and the Education Bubble By Steven Davidoff (The New York Times, 2009.3.3)
The story, The Education Bubble, was taken from The New York Times. The copyright remains with its original owners. The author of this story and The New York Times are not involved with, nor endorse the production of this blog.
The Gatehouse of King's College, Cambridge, Britain taken by Frank, 2006.1.6
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