Flipping exams

John East

Melanie, Look at it this way. Nulab are in fact preparing our younger generation with all the skills they will need in the future. Assuming our banana republic has the wealth to continue consuming burgers, McBurger degrees will become prized qualifications. There's little point continuing to produce world class scientists when all the plum jobs in science and technology will be in India and China.

Jack

I would very much like to see an example of a student being awarded a degree "when they have scored zero in their exams because they have never even turned up". Please try and stick to the facts for once Melanie.

Hereford

I don't think the problem is the equating of Vocational with Academic qualifications. Indeed, I think there is a need to increase the perceived value of vocational qualifications and stop the senseless drive towards everyone having a degree, then a masters, then a PHd. I think the issue is that, in all qualifications, academic or vocational the level of rigour applied to achieving the certificate or diploma, or whatever has been continuously eroded until the qualification is completely devalued. Vocational qualifications are good, if they are equal in rigour to the equivalent academic qualification. They stop us from driving non-academic young people into a system to which they are not suited, but allow us to equip them with the skills for the world of work.

Patrick Bramwell

When 16 British universities offer degrees in "alternative medicine", among them BScs in homeopathy, one has to conclude that we are living in what someone has termed "The Endarkenment". Big Science is becoming politicised to the extent that it is no longer possible to distinguish between evidence and propaganda. Heresy tests are here---just try going against the received "wisdom" of climate change. Try to question the wisdom of multiculturalism. Try to champion Christian values at a social workers' conference. Try to get a sympathetic hearing for Israel on any university campus. Once "everything is relative" was firmly installed in the credulous minds of today's so-called intelligentsia, all else follows. Why not McDonalds degrees? At least we may be sure that the graduates can flip hamburgers. Graduates from most UK universities would be too busy protesting beef farming, capitalist enterprise and the inherent size-ism of Big Macs to acquire a useful skill.

And Another Thing

And what does a degree at a good university get you, for most years of corporate drudgery as an accountant, lawyer, banker or if you become a doctor or teacher you can look forward to Melanie put the boot into your profession on this blog on in the Daily Wail. Much more freedom in taking a vocational course & judging by how difficult it is to get a tradesman in London more money too.

David Lindsay

I don't care for the food in McDonald's, but the company is well-known as a good employer. I can't, though, see why these no diplomas need to be compared to A-levels. The comparison is meaningless. I want them to be good as what they are, and I am sure that they will be. We should take this opportunity to restore properly rigorous academic qualifications as well, and then move on towards a situation in which everyone is both cultured and skilled. If the Germans can manage this, then why can't we?

George Steiner

The wife of a fellow I know in the UK remarked some years ago, "may be my husband should be retrained as a plumber, they are so difficukt to find". The husband has a PhD in a not at all useless domain. But the fundamental problem for you Brits is that as a society you look down on people who do things with their hands and God forbid get them diry. You believe and got your kids to believe that knowledge and culture shines out of a university education. But you are wrong. And unless as a society you can recover respect for people who work with their hands, the tradesmen, the craftsmen, the technicians, you are condemned to decline further, faster.

Joe Strummer

Why do we put thousands of youngsters through " University " when they emerge semi literate and almost unemployable. ? 90 odd % of them shouldn't be there and they only assist the devaluation of a degree.

David Revelman

I don't know what a McDegree should be equivalent to, but I do know that McDonalds train their employees exceptionally well. What ever the graduates of Hamburger U are trained to do, they will do it well. Can you say that about any public education establishment in Britain?