For my Libertarian friends

Because cutting tertiary education is a brilliant move for a skill-based economy...

Either way, the cuts to higher education are easily the harshest of any in the budget (compare the overall 40% cut for tertiary education with a 25% cut target for most departments, and only an 8% cut to the defence budget, IIRC), the amount of student loans that aren't repaid are going to increase, the bureaucracy of the student finance system will increase, the debt most students are saddled with will increase, and most of all, the standard of teaching doesn't seem likely to increase with that.

The universities budget was tiny anyway by comparison to (e.g.) housing benefit, and the savings are simply not going to occur in the short term because the students will need to receive loans to pay the increased fees and the bureaucracy contingent on that will need to be enlarged.

Well since you're only asking why it won't be allowed...

People will freak out man! Its like, way too out there!
Also I assume the guvment wouldn't want it because...well why would they?

Rob, curious, have any other countries tried the approach you describe?  If so, what have results been like? 
It's a very interesting thought in any case.

I can say I learned far more in grades 1-6 than 7-12.    In 7-12 I was often biding my time in school. 

It's the type of thing that does sound good on paper....
I mean how many of us really learned anything in High School?
I do believe in education which is why I hate the way things are, teaching to tests and all that BS.

Its an intriguing idea Rob, I assume there are other concerns (mainly social in nature) that could arise  but I'm far too lazy to think of them

We already know how llama will feel about this.
Since he was, well kind of, raised and educated in this manor.

He turned out fine. So there's no doubt an unorthodox education can work very successfully.

I guess the concern is, (and I already know the libertarian response) is that not all will learn. Many will just veg out on the internet using for junk like porn, videos and prog archives.

It's an interesting idea I would like to see experimented. Since my idea, (the same system but actually focused on learning and useful info and preparation for higher education) seems a lot more difficult to implement.

Personal evidence is 90% of what we use (like how I made that up?)

And I did present more reasonable concerns in a later post.
I was thinking something like they won't have the socializing aspect of school but I totally forgot that...there are people in town
And you would keep public elementary school in place which IMO is critically important. Not only for socializing and all that fun sh*t but yeah, after that what good did any of us learn?

Well in England we have to go to school until we're 16 (Year 11) and then after that, it's optional.  It is surprising how many people who say they hate school actually end up at College come September.

It's mostly the staidness of schooling from years 7 through 11, I feel.  College has a different atmosphere entirely.  Although I do have a lot of issues with Colleges too.  A lack of discipline being one.  However, unlike school, the teacher/lecturer can kick you off permanently and much quicker too.  It's mostly those who want to learn than remain.

James wrote: Well in England we have to go to school until we're 16 (Year 11) and then after that, it's optional.  It is surprising how many people who say they hate school actually end up at College come September. It's mostly the staidness of schooling from years 7 through 11, I feel.  College has a different atmosphere entirely.  Although I do have a lot of issues with Colleges too.  A lack of discipline being one.  However, unlike school, the teacher/lecturer can kick you off permanently and much quicker too.  It's mostly those who want to learn than remain.

Here in the US, it's school until 18 and then (if you have any measure of aspirations) you go to school again until 22 (or later).

I was a teacher in an alternative school.  Here in many states, crappy students get put out of their usual schools and must attend a school where all the students are bad.  They are thus coddled (or in better cases, given tough love).  Students who get put out of those are often sent to an alternative alternative school.

The point being is that taxpayers are forced to support a****le kids.  Many of these teens should not be supported or helped, but should be put out.  I dealt with many of them.  And one of them stole my wallet.

Our governmental bodies have no right to create public education in the first place, much less allow for criminals to have a place to stay for 8 hours a day.

James wrote: That's nonsense, Rob, sorry.  Even after tertiary schooling, you still need to continue learning in certain subjects.  Like English and Mathematics. How many people are actually going to bother to learn anything useful?  Plus they'll (attempt to) learn it all from Wikipedia anyway. I still feel aggrieved by the lack of Shakespeare I did, actually.

I find this sort of attitude extremely insulting. People are too stupid to learn unless they're forced, eh? That's a totally baseless assumption. Learning is what we are built to do. It comes naturally to every child. The only thing that gets in the way is lack of opportunity or being forced to learn things you hate until all learning becomes a chore for you. I think Rob's idea would work very well in a great many cases.

You completely failed to understand my point, Llama.

Plus you should also read my later point.  I do see some valid points in Rob's idea.

I do agree that much of what we are taught in Secondary Education is mostly pointless.  There does need to be a radicalisation of Education.

I just think there needs to be a proper learning environment for those aged 11 to 16 (or 18), rather than learning for themselves from home.  There needs be a disciplined environment.  Not a school, as such but more of a College environment.

I never once said anything about anyone being stupid either.  Neither did I mention anything about being forced to learn if people are stupid.  So please don't misquote me.

However, some people won't bother to learn anything.  Not even for a career.  Of course, those who want to learn, will.

I, myself, prefer to have a more disciplined and rigid environment to learn in.  I get distracted at home if I ever try to read articles online.  I realise that's not proper studying but it's still somewhat of a chore sometimes.  I get easily sidetracked.

I am going to be doing a Distance Learning course come January and I am hoping that I can discipline myself enough to get through it.  However, the difference here is that there is some rigidity.  There's deadlines to meet.  Grades to be given.

Of course, I am sure Rob's plan also includes grading schemes and deadlines.  I just don't necessarily think home-schooling is right for everyone.