Subsidisation by International Student Fees and Adulteration of the Universities' "Provisions". (July 7, 2011)

 Professor Stephen King, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, at Monash University wrote in his July 3, 2011 blog, "The sad state of public universities in Australia", of the unrealistic over dependence on income from the fees obtained from international students. Quoting from The Australian's HES: "Australian universities are so chronically under-funded in their teaching activities that every domestic undergraduate is effectively subsidised to the tune of $1200 by international student fees."

He rightly points out that in the probability of a reduction of numbers of such students coupled with the federal government's drive to markedly increase the numbers of domestic undergraduates while not increasing commensurate funding through government sources or uncapped tuition, the quality of teaching will diminish.

Not discussed by Professor King but of at least equal concern is the pernicious effect of adulterating the course structure of our universities to cater for the demands of international undergraduates at the expense of disciplines vital to the commonweal. So for example the continued underrepresentation of mathematics at our universities and its effect in turn on the teaching of the sciences and engineering not to mention the gross under education of secondary and primary school teaches who will teach the STEM subjects not only inadequately but with lack of enthusiasm.

Is it really any wonder that interest in taking up these subjects by high school graduates is waning.

And it is noteworthy that not a murmur has been heard from any political quarter regarding that dire warning by the president of the Australian Academy of Science, Suzanne Cory, "An economic crisis is looming for Australia, and it has nothing to do with carbon trading".

To redress the problems will take over a decade and strategic planning, but there is no sign of any political interest in such an undertaking.