“Let us suppose that instead of the UK being a net importer of students, this situation were reversed. What would happen to our universities over the next 20 years if the flow of young people coming to study from overseas dried up and increasing numbers of home students chose to go abroad for their higher education? This question is one of several ‘what ifs’ to be posed in a teasing new publication by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), published today and seen exclusively by Education Guardian. What if the economy never properly recovers and future generations of students have to stay at home? What if fears about the effects of travel on the environment confine students to their local areas? What if lifelong learning finally becomes a reality and the boundaries between schools, colleges and universities disappear? What if virtual technology takes over completely? …” (more)
[Peter Kingston, Guardian, 24 March]