The Libertarianz Tertiary Education Policy was released today by Spokesman Andrew Bates, himself a Commerce and Engineering student.

"Let us first understand the true nature of the present system," he said.

# Education is paid for from funds forcefully extorted from all taxpayers. "Why, asks Bates, "should people with little wealth be forced to fund the education of the wealthy?"

# Students are funded equally, regardless of their ability, efforts or performance.

# Indoctrination of students in all manner of irrationalist doctrines is routine in most liberal arts courses, and in many vocational courses. Among them - besides irrational skepticism, tribalism and the recent addition of environmentalism - are collectivism in its various forms of Marxism, racism, nationalism, and feminism; and cultural relativism, determinism, logical positivism, existentialism, linguistic analysis, behaviourism, Freudianism, and Keynesianism.

# Intellectually dishonest lecturers and tutors are able to disseminate their poisonous propaganda in their courses, even as they grade-penalise students who dare disagree with them. They call this academic freedom!

# Even students in professional courses are distracted with this irrelevant politically correct nonsense.

# Some lecturers with high standards have been instructed by HODs to dumb down their courses to reduce failure rates.

# Students receiving the largesse of the taxpayer will often be found invading buildings - protesting for yet more taxpayers' money to be wasted on them; they claim they have a 'right' to other people's money to further their habits;

# Student Association politicians - who use their positions to incite yet more protest - preside over buildings provided by the taxpayer, and an association structure designed to keep control in the hands of student agitators.

Apologists for state funded education claim that education is a 'public good '; that we will all benefit from having our tax dollars misappropriated in such a way. This doctrine of 'external benefits' ignores both the injustice of stealing from Peter to provide an education for Paul, but - even worse - it ignores the growing hordes of illiterate, semi-savage delinquents being hurled out by such institutions.

"Libertarianz," says Bates, "recognises that this current structure is both unsustainable and unjust.

Consequently, Libertarianz advocates the urgent privatisation of all tertiary institutes by tender. The expected outcome:

# No more hounding of taxpayers - sometimes to death - to provide resources for idle students.

# No more lecturers advocating more taxpayers's money be stolen for them.

# No more low-income families taxed to pay for rich folks kids to go to university.

# Students free to approach finance institutions or possible future employers for loans.

# A huge decrease in taxes would see private companies more easily able to offer scholarships targeting talented students.

# Education standards no longer being set by politically correct state flunkies, but by free individuals and organisations, voluntarily.

# A natural balance in the setting of standards - employers would not be interested in graduates from courses too easily passed and qualifications too easily gained.

# Class sizes and course numbers would either grow or contract as necessary to suit demand

# Existing Students' Association buildings turned over to the Universities and privatised along with them - if universities wanted to help set up new Students' Associations they would be free to do so; if they didn't then it would be up to students to organise themselves.

# Increased choice in tertiary education resulting from deregulation would mean tertiary institutes needing to provide good delivery of services in order to attract patronage.

"I note in conclusion," says Mr Bates, "that this policy is so obviously superior to anything offered by any other parties that it shows up the leadership deficiencies of those who fail to advocate it."

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>