BBC Radio 5 Live Debate On Universities

Appeared on Richard Bacon’s show, arguing that too many students were going to university, studying non-courses’. Too many courses are not serious: Outdoor Adventure With Philosophy, Ghost-Hunting, Surfing Studies. The guest arguing the other point of view, said that students should be able to study whatever they want. I argued there was limited money in the pot, we already spend ﾣ80 billion on Higher Education and there are more deserving causes than Ghost-Hunting. Among other things I looked at the Taxpayer’s Alliance information on the subject http://tpa.typepad.com/waste/2007/08/the-non-courses.html and Alison Wolf’s argument that expanding higher education does not necessarily improve a country’s economy:
http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=5474.’