[noobermin]

It's simple, there are two currents on this aspect on HN, one are those who find it an issue and others who think see universities as cheap labour and thus are the target of rags like the economist here. I'm not sure how the latter find the incessant postings of articles about academic problems, they probably tune it out perhaps or don't make the connection.

[simne]

You hit. Exists just two views on high education (middle education considered just mandatory).

First view, that high education must be right (now some countries already formalized guaranteed free high education), and second view, that high education is just another service, which should be regulated by free market (sure, as free as possible).

And this is competition of views. Will see who win.

BTW, I live in Ukraine, country at big war, and we have claimed free high education (yes, it is already partially paid, but still exists possibilities to attend free courses and got free diploma).

And what I see, Ukrainian almost free education is total disaster, few years ago few East countries cancelled practice of automatic acceptance of Ukrainian diploma, because of low quality.

Second issue, we learned from teachers, that Universities will develop new technologies and especially new defenses for country (in exchange for financing them from public resources), but at the moment (two years of war, all science workers have privileges), see nothing, just zero.