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Ain’t no such thing as a vanity course
via GIPHY Many of you will have seen the furore that arose when the Principal of the University of the Highlands and Islands (an institution I’ve got a lot of admiration for) said that “the days of having a vanity course, unit or subject are over. We’re not here to study something for which there is no direct employment, growing market or sector.” He has since apologised and claimed he was misquoted. The statement was symptomatic of a broader malaise in higher ed, especially acute in the UK, that cannot conceive of education that is not directly vocational. It started under Labour, with Gordon Brown (who is generally a decent chap)…