What are universities for? Are they for education, research or profit? The CV19 lens has brought into sharp focus some of the cracks in the sector. Liz Crash and Dr Mark Bahnisch join James and Jackson to discuss these complex institutions - and why so many are outraged by recent efforts, by unis and unions alike, to recoup income lost due to COVIC19.
Over the past 30 years it appears our universities have changed. They once were elite centres of learning available to the privileged few - but where depth and quality of research were paramount and academics (and students) were supported to achieve this. Today university is an option for many, presented as a near necessity for securing an ever dwindling array of secure vocations. While costs may be deferred, they have skyrocketed; face-to-face teaching hours have plummeted; degrees are no guarantee of secure employment and neither is being hired by the university itself!
