Australian teenagers looking to major in gender studies might need to start pinching pennies to prepare for a hike in the price of their degrees.
The conservative majority in Australia's government announced plans for a 113% hike in the fees associated with a degree in the liberal arts to allow for cheaper degrees in math, science, nursing, and languages.
“We are encouraging students to embrace diversity and not think about their education as a siloed degree. So if you want to study history, also think about studying English. If you want to study philosophy, also think about studying a language. If you want to study law, also think about studying IT," said Education Minister Dan Tehan, who has two advanced humanities degrees in international relations.
“It’s common sense. If Australia needs more educators, more health professionals, and more engineers, then we should incentivize students to pursue those careers," Tehan later added.
The additional fees could open up an additional 39,000 slots for students while cutting fees for students pursuing degrees preferred by the government by the year 2023 if the policy is implemented. Right now, Australian graduates do not pay for college directly. Instead, most students accept government loans and pay an elevated tax rate for several years until they are paid off. The policy change would not affect students who have already begun their studies.
Among the proposal's critics is Tanya Plibersek, a member of the Labor Party who condemned the notion that humanities degrees are not "job-relevant."
"I'm an arts graduate, and so is the minister for education, so I'm not sure you can draw the conclusion that we're completely unemployable," Plibersek said. "People aren't dumb. They don't want to get thousands of dollars into debt without the prospect of a job."
The National Union of Students called the proposal a "debt sentence" for students who wish to have a liberal arts education.
"Future students do not deserve to bear the brunt of this government's ideological assault against higher education," the organization said.
The proposal is part of Australia's response to the coronavirus, which rocked the nation's economy. Education is one of the nation's largest exports, but international travel restrictions have left the country with 20% of its international students stuck abroad.
