Education...?

Statistics show that the Danish population is not as well-educated as they would like to believe.

This only shows that wealth is not equivalent to the desire to broaden one's mind. However, as I pointed out some time in November, I guess, there are indications that Danes are more motivated to get away from something than to reach a goal.

The wealth has been acquired through the wish to get away from poverty. That things have gone so well in this respect may be due to the fact that people had difficulties figuring out when to stop.

That policy-makers have not have the foresight to invest in programmes that could entice more youngsters to get more education may very well be due to the fact that they would have to define goals that reach far beyond "staying in power" or "being re-elected".

Today Venstre's spokesperson on education suggested that the universities should dramatically decrease their demands on students' theses because the writing process is time-consuming and hard to get through. Some students never reach the end of this particular tunnel.

Writing a thesis is tough work. But cutting it down to one third of the size it has now only cures a symptom. When students drop out while writing their thesis one of the reasons is that their tutors have never been taught how to be managers, too.

I know that most of the university teachers I know will not love me for this: but there is so much more to helping students through these agonies than just to discuss the material they have handed in. Tutoring means that one has a responsibility towards one's students. And this responsibility is personal as well as professional.

Being learned is a dangerous thing in Denmark. Everybody is entitled to bash intellectuals. The PM does it, and if you do not hold with his rhetoric you are no defender of democracy and should be shunned by the majority of the people.

With plenty of money who needs knowledge? With a full stomach now who needs to think about the future? It's not as though we were standing with water up to our necks, is it?