Raising the university entry age to 20: reform that may make a difference

Students Studying, a photo by University of Denver on Flickr.

This article, on a more serious topic than my first, looks at higher education reform and why I feel that current proposed policies (from both left and right leaning commentators) fundamentally ignore the key issues the sector faces.

Plenty has been written over recent months and years over how the UK Higher Education (HE) sector needs to change in order to meet the changing demands being placed on it. Three problems in particular need addressing. Firstly, we need to find a way of upskilling the population in a way that can meet the ever-evolving demands of our economy. Secondly, we need to find a way to address the inequality of HE opportunity that exists between the state and private education sectors. And thirdly, all this has to be done at a time when the government needs to cut costs in order to tackle the deficit.

So far, only two real solutions have been offered, both of which I feel are highly unimaginative. The coalition has raised tuition fees (albeit with more favourable loan repayment terms) which provides a quick fix to the financial problem, but does little to address the other two issues. Student bodies and unions have proposed a continuation of the lower fee levels with some even advocating increased HE funding. This allows continued upskilling but doesn’t really tackle issues of inequality of opportunity, and simply leaves the financial issues for someone else to deal with at a later date.

I argue that neither of these options is appropriate and that the country is better off adopting a third but more radical solution: raising the standard entry age for undergraduate degrees to 20.

I’ll start by looking at the resource and financial constraints currently faced by the HE sector. In the long-run, my proposal would make relatively little difference as student numbers wouldn’t change, cohorts would simply start degrees later. However, important short-term cost savings could be realised by universities. In switching to my proposed system, there inevitably would be an initial decline in student numbers as the first cohorts delay the start of their degrees. This however, would also entail reduced expenditure for the HE sector, which would provide some respite to the huge spending squeeze that the sector is currently seeing.

The main benefits of my proposal though lie elsewhere. Let me examine the upskilling of the population to begin with. The university path is not the only way of improving individuals' work skills and indeed, may not even be the most appropriate step straight after school/college. By raising the standard university entry age to 20, people will have two full years which they can spend in the working world. Any job, regardless of status or sector, will provide future students with a vital perspective on how the wider world works, leaving them well-placed not only for university (especially so for prospective arts students) but also for their longer term careers. Furthermore, with two years to play with, it’s not unreasonable to think that firms might set up school leaver programmes, similar to graduate training schemes, again helping broaden the skillset of future undergraduates.

I’ll end by considering equality of opportunity. Clearly one policy alone will not address this issue but raising the university entry age would certainly help. Firstly, it would mean that most candidates would apply for places with grades in hand, giving them a better idea of which courses and institutions would be realistic and appropriate choices. Clearly this is preferable to what we have right now: guess work based on sketchy predicted grades. Furthermore, the extra two years allows more time to research possible future paths, as well as providing an opportunity to reflect and to try out new things away from the academic environment. My proposal could also help tackle some of the financial barriers to HE participation. By making it normal to work for two years before university, students will have to chance to earn at least some money that can immediately contribute towards their HE costs.

I appreciate that my proposed changes would represent a huge shift in the status quo and I don’t claim that this solution is flawless. Nonetheless, I believe that policy needs to big, brave, and bold as it’s the only way that our higher education sector will continue to be meaningful and well-regarded.

Being a Danish footballer: the ultimate dream job?

Brian_Laudrup_125279o, a photo by golpasion on Flickr.

Despite having spent the past four years either studying or working in policy, I’ve always maintained that the ultimate dream job would involve being some kind of part-time astronaut, part-time cricketer. However, after reading an excellent article by Dave Farrar in Issue One of the football publication The Blizzard, I realise that I now have a new calling: to be an international footballer, specifically a Danish one.

Farrar tells the story behind the Denmark team that won Euro 92. The Danes were only told ten days before the start of the tournament that they would be playing, replacing the excluded Yugoslavia. Folklore has it that several of the Danish players were on holiday, soaking up the sun on various beaches when they received their call up. Surely the best summer holiday ever then: the sun, the sea, and a winner’s medal from a major international football tournament!

But the story gets better. The Danish coach Moller Nielsen provided his squad with a series of unorthodox pre-match motivation activities. Squad activities included a trip to play mini-golf, and a matchday meal at Burger King. For me, the only thing that would detract from life as a professional sportsman would be the endless coach trips and a diet consisting solely of chicken and pasta. Clearly if I were a Danish footballer though, even these concerns would be taken care of…

This somewhat unique regime took Denmark to the final, but Nielsen still had one final trick up his sleeve. Rather than encouraging his players to get some rest and a good night’s sleep the night before the final, Nielsen let his players spend the night with their wives and girlfriends instead!

Being paid to play international football has to count as one of the best jobs you could have, especially if silverware comes your way (although as an Englishman I wouldn’t know what such success actually feels like...). But doing so when training consists of staying on the beach and eating Burger King has to make it the ultimate dream job. Clearly, I’d be well suited to the Danish way of footballing life!

I’ll end this entry with a couple of final thoughts. Firstly, based on all that’s been said, how can we be surprised that Denmark is regularly rated as one of the happiest places in the world? Secondly, my cricket club, the St Anne's Allstars, has long advocated the Danish model. Previous pre-match activities have included having a Sunday roast immediately before play, and holding various running bomb competitions in swimming pools (complete with Biggles goggles routines…) Why then, do we lose so many matches?!

A bit about what I'm doing here!

Welcome to my new blog, which I hope to update at least on a semi-regular basis!

The main aim of my blog is to further explore some of the topics of conversation (both serious and non-serious) that I’ve had with various people in the pub or over lunch. I’ve often found that chucking out time or the end of the lunch break has prematurely ended many an interesting conversation. There are plenty of debates that I’ve annoyingly had to leave unfinished. Past examples include whether there’s any value in legalising narcotics, which of the Indiana Jones films is the best, and whether it can ever be acceptable to eat chips and gravy after a night out… So expect articles from me on a range of themes including current affairs, politics, sport, and the latest bit of trashy TV I happen to be watching.

I hope you find my articles interesting and I will happily welcome comments to my pieces. For friends and family that decide to read my posts, hopefully they may even provide starting points for future lunchtime conversation and pub-based banter!

More soon!