The great education slippery-dip
The media is really ramping up the coverage of sub-standard university graduates. The SMH places the blame on university administrators, Sky News follow suit, and I had to go all the way to the Korean Times to find someone who would even think of mentioning the real reason behind the decline in education standards.
But is it any great wonder that these asian students (yes, it is only asian students, not all foreign students, who struggle) cannot speak the language? In my beloved undergraduate degree, population 50, there were about 20-30 international (asian) students in each class. Most of them were quiet, studious types, so they tended to keep to themselves and in general had no need to converse with the boorish, drunken local engineering students. Groupwork was a problem, but they usually solved that by plaguarising entire assignments from such reputable and well-researched sources as Wikipedia, and relied on the poor bastard of a group leader who had to edit their work so it was up to scratch before handing it in.
I copped this job several times in the first couple of years of my course, and the students in question passed every time. So, when I was placed in a group consisting of me and four chinese students who didn’t speak a word of English, I tried the same trick on them - dumping the group leader with a whole pile of irrelevant garbage the day before the assignment was due. Needless to say, I failed the course.
Some media outlets have been suggesting that being unable to speak English is a major disadvantage when it comes to lectures, however, I couldn’t disagree more. The percentage of lectures in my degree who had a decent grasp of the English language was about one quarter. Some were so bad, it actually took a couple of minutes to translate their quiz questions from chinglish and work out what the hell I was supposed to be answering.
Virginia Trioli, in all her wisdom, suggested recently on her morning show that perhaps speaking English wasn’t a real big requirement of the courses that are popular with international students - computer science, engineering and architecture. I can’t speak for the other two degrees, but there is a hell of a lot of report writing in engineering, and without proper communication skills, little things like OH&S can easily get passed over.
It’s about time for this government to step up and reinvest in our education system. Recent ABC headlines say it all about the government’s attitude:
Rudd promises education overhaul
Versus:
Govt rejects Rudd’s ‘education revolution’
Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop is deluded if she thinks that our education system is anywhere near world standards. Maybe third world standards, Ms Bishop. Last time I checked, Harvard Business School wasn’t in Australia.
Mr Rudd has it right this time. Stop politicising our future.
Australia 2007, Education, Politics | stu | 
January 30, 2007 1:16 pm
18 Comments
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By Jeremy Curran
, January 30, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
I shudder at the memory of those uni group assignments *shudders*
By Sarah
, January 30, 2007 @ 10:23 pm
A shudder at the thought of how true it all is
By stu
, January 30, 2007 @ 10:48 pm
And you’ve still got 4 years to go…
By foster the imposter
, January 31, 2007 @ 10:22 am
i shudder at the thought of jeremy in speedos at his australia day pool party…..but maybe thats just me
By bungalow j. wombat
, January 31, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
foster shudders because he’s spraying a load at the thought of it…
By bungalow j. wombat
, January 31, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
and what the jesus bloody croist is this flag business next to my name
By Jeremy Curran
, January 31, 2007 @ 6:14 pm
you are an american Nick. You are no longer an Australian.
ps. Foster has small nuts
By Sarah
, January 31, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
4 years…??? well maybe if i do summer and winter school each year and over load i can do it in 3…
Actually now that i think about it summer school is worse there is no one who can speak English…. i mean no one
By Drew
, February 1, 2007 @ 1:24 am
Does this mean i will have a Peruvian flag next to my name?
By Drew
, February 1, 2007 @ 1:24 am
wicked
By foster the imposter
, February 2, 2007 @ 9:43 am
you got it wrong, stu
nick’s supposed to have a rainbow flag next to his name
By bungalow j. wombat
, February 3, 2007 @ 4:49 am
foster needs an irish flag, given his penchant for being a raging butt leprechaun!!
taters!!!
By Sarah
, February 3, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
Shouldn’t there be a “Tida-li-dee” in front of that….
By foster the imposter
, February 7, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
wrong again nick,
you should have an Ethiopian flag next to your name to symbolise your insatiable hunger for butt!!!!
By kyndman007
, April 17, 2007 @ 3:17 am
In a TV Production class, where we did a nightly newscast on the local PBS Station. The Professor allowed an Asian girl to do the weather for part of the semester. When I think back to doing the production, it still makes cringe. She would refer to Minnesota, as “Da Minnasotas.” When she tried to say California, it was worse than anytime Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to say it. I could go on for days about this one, but I’ll keep it to myself for now.
By Daddy Chainsaw
, June 18, 2007 @ 7:28 am
Hello! looks like you all now each other, and im probably several years late in putting something on this. All i can say is that i shudder ’shudder’ at the ’shudder’ posibility of having to go through that. ’shudder’ (just kidding) mind you, i know what you’re talking about with the asian kids, same over here too. ‘over here as in /\ british!
By Daddy Chainsaw
, June 18, 2007 @ 7:30 am
sorry, being an idiot - these were of course posted this year. because it says so. ah heh heh, ohhhh…
By yurtdisi egitim fuari
, October 17, 2008 @ 10:51 pm
Why this web site do not have other languages support?