Which of the following are the demerits of globalisation of higher education ?…
2017
Which of the following are the demerits of globalisation of higher education ?
(a) Exposure to global curriculum
(b) Promotion of elitism in education
(c) Commodification of higher education
(d) Increase in the cost of education
Select the correct answer from the codes given below :
Codes :
Answer: C. (b), (c) and (d) — Concept — the test that separates a merit from a demerit. Globalisation of higher education is the cross-border flow of curricula, students, teachers,…
- A.
(a) and (d)
- B.
(a), (c) and (d)
- C.
(b), (c) and (d)
- D.
(a), (b), (c) and (d)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept — the test that separates a merit from a demerit. Globalisation of higher education is the cross-border flow of curricula, students, teachers, institutions and capital. Any effect of that flow is read as a merit when it widens what a learner is able to access, study or achieve, and as a demerit when it narrows entry, subordinates academic purpose to market logic, or raises the burden the learner has to carry. Everything else in this item is that one test applied four times.
Application — run each listed effect through the test.
Listed effect | What it does to the learner | Reading on the test |
|---|---|---|
(a) Exposure to global curriculum | Brings internationally framed content and standards within reach, widening the range a student may study | Merit — capability widens |
(b) Promotion of elitism in education | Premium globally benchmarked programmes cluster in high-fee institutions, so entry concentrates among students who can already pay | Demerit — access narrows |
(c) Commodification of higher education | A degree is packaged and sold as a marketable product, so provision follows paying demand rather than academic or social need | Demerit — purpose is subordinated to the market |
(d) Increase in the cost of education | Competition for global standing, foreign faculty and campus infrastructure pushes fees and associated expenses upward | Demerit — burden rises |
Cross-check — read the codes by their content. Three of the four listed effects narrow entry or raise the burden, while exposure to global curriculum enlarges what a learner may study. So any code that counts exposure to global curriculum among the demerits — the code (a) and (d), the code (a), (c) and (d), and the code (a), (b), (c) and (d) — puts a capability-widening effect on the demerit side. Note also how the remaining three reinforce one another: once education is sold as a product, price climbs, and a climbing price is exactly what concentrates entry among the already advantaged.
A caveat worth knowing. Exposure to global curriculum is sometimes criticised on a different axis, for eroding local knowledge traditions. Under the access-and-burden test used in this item, however, it is counted among the gains, because it enlarges rather than restricts what a learner can reach.
Result. The demerits of globalisation of higher education among those listed are promotion of elitism in education, commodification of higher education and increase in the cost of education — that is, the code (b), (c) and (d).