The Morrison government’s Job Ready Graduates package of reforms reduced student tuition fees in fields expected to produce the most job growth, while increasing fees for courses seen as less vital to the economy.
Students studying in areas such as science, teaching, nursing, languages, psychology, environmental science, information technology and architecture had their fees slashed, while those studying subjects in the humanities including communications, society and culture, and behavioural and social sciences endured significant price hikes.
Two years later, and with a Labor government in place, calls are growing for a reversal of the humanities price hike amid claims the Job Ready Graduate package is having a negative impact on students, universities and the broader community.
When the package was announced, then education minister Dan Tehan said the government would: “Incentivise students to make more job-relevant choices that lead to more job-ready graduates by reducing the student contribution in areas of expected employment growth and demand.”
Using COVID as a core driver for what has latterly been considered a complicated reshuffling of government funding of universities, Mr Tehan added: “We must double down on our core mission of educating Australians for the jobs that will be in demand in the future”.
Under the package, student fee contributions for humanities courses rose by 113 per cent to make degrees in subjects such as history, philosophy and communications more expensive than courses including dentistry, engineering and agriculture.
The decision to increase the cost of a humanities degree was applauded by some, who argue such qualifications deliver poor vocational outcomes.
But not everyone agreed with Mr Tehan’s fee reforms or his statement that “a cheaper degree in an area where’s there’s a job is a win-win for students”.
Humanities advocates argued study in their fields of academia played a critical role in helping to understand ourselves, others, and the world.
Further, they said, the reforms failed to recognise the contribution humanities made to educating the country’s future workforce.
There was also rejection of claims that humanities graduates were less employable, with advocates pointing to Mr Tehan’s own qualifications: a bachelor of arts, a master of foreign affairs and a master of international relations.
Advocates have argued humanities degrees are able to better deliver on the ‘soft skills’ many employers now demand, especially the ability to communicate information in person and in writing.
Others argued that humanities disciplines like religion, cultural and comparative studies and history, were essential for effective global and cross[1]cultural engagement.
They claimed that, given the extent of global challenges in today’s world, including cultural and religious conflicts and social unrest, we should try to increase rather than cut the number of humanities graduates.
It is hard to disagree with that logic.
Arguments in favour of more humanities aside, there are other compelling reasons for a review into the student fees associated with different disciplines.
Early anecdotal evidence suggests fee increases have done little to redirect large numbers of students away from humanities courses and into “in-demand” employment-linked courses.
The reforms ignored the fact students, who can defer the payment of their fees until they commence work, will always be more likely to study courses of interest to them, regardless of the costs.
A fee cut in engineering, for example, was never going to incentivise a student with a strong interest in philosophy to switch directions.
And unsurprisingly, hikes to humanities student charges have meant less funding for some more resources-intensive, science-based courses.
Reductions in student contributions to science-based courses, which are often more expensive to run, have made it more difficult for universities to continue to deliver courses that require specialised equipment and infrastructure.
It has meant some university leaders are cross-subsidising by taking funds from humanities to support courses in science.
Some higher education commentators believe the reforms have done little but reorganise internal university budgets.
But there is a glimmer of hope for those contemplating studying a humanities degree that the fee structure might be reversed.
Education Minister Jason Clare has agreed for a review of the funding arrangements to start before the end of this year.
• Professor Gary Martin is chief executive officer of the Australian Institute of Management WA.
