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Many people are now wondering whether the education industry will also
start to experience a downfall as a result of the global financial crisis,
(GFC).
Initially what began with the US sub-prime mortgage crisis has now
transmogrified into something far more devastating.
Last week we saw the bankruptcy of the Icelandic nation and the resignation
of their government.
Almost weekly new reports are being broadcast of company bankruptcies,
staff cuts, bank closures, negative trade statistics and billionaires who decide
to take their own lives.
One estimate here in China placed the possible number of jobless resulting
from the present mess to be around 20 million.
Unlike the commodity markets in oil and minerals or the manufacturing
industry dealing with clothing and automobiles there was always one industry
that appeared a safe haven for employees and company directors during a
recession – that of education.
I remember quite specifically a time when my old private language school
boss commented that education, particularly here in China, was like a tree that
just keeps on growing.
Well that metaphor is now being put to the test and perhaps it won't be for
another half a year or so before we begin to see the impact of the GFC on the
education industry.
Contacts in Australian institutions are telling me application numbers from
China are still strong though yesterday I had a phone call from my brother who
works in Japan and his impression was far more pessimistic.
Whether conditions in China for those who are able to study abroad are less
problematic or whether the situation in Japan is more critical and constrained
is hard to decipher.
Both countries value highly the role of education and traditionally
families from both nations put away money towards their children's
education.
One aspect not mentioned so far is how influential will the role of new
technologies be on reducing costs for learning?
Many insiders have been speculating as to the role of new web-enabled
mobile devices and whether such technology will serve to bring down the price of
learning.
Already we are seeing a huge growth in online learning and an acceptance
from employers for qualifications obtained online. Such education delivery saves
costs and makes competition between schools and colleges, both at home and
abroad, more vibrant.
Looking further afield, perhaps some time in the not so distant future,
more students will be using their mp4's and Ipod's and Iphones to download
lessons, as is now seen with foreigners trying to learn Chinese who use "Chinese
Pod" a company based out in Shanghai, paying a fraction of the cost of
traditional 'in classroom' lessons.
On the move, more engaging and customized for the consumer, the future of
education is continually evolving.
Place this alongside the current climate where governments, companies and
families are cutting back on spending and maybe we will see more affordability
in the future for learning with profits less easy to come by for past education
giants who appeared to have a monopoly in certain markets.
And for people like myself, it may mean more rigorous demands being placed
on teachers to be conversant in the latest technologies so as to cater for the
new 21st century student.
Transmogrified: Altered, transformed, or mutated into a form that is
grotesque or amusing.
Metaphor: The use of a word or phrase to refer to something that it isn't,
invoking a direct similarity between the word or phrase used and the thing
described, and without the words "like" or "as".
Speculate: To think, meditate or reflect on a subject. |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:58:12