[quickthrowman]

> The UK student loan book regularly changes hands on the secondaries market at half of face value. Make of that what you will. Draw whatever conclusions you might about the market value of some of the education provided.

The price of the debt says nothing about the value of education. The price is simply a reflection of the likelihood the debt will be paid.

[crote]

The debt will be paid when the person receiving the education is able to obtain a halfway-decent-paying job. If the debts aren't being paid, it means the education didn't result in employment.

Considering the whole point of education is to be prepared for a job, it means the education is not worth very much.

[ahartmetz]

Employment is not the whole point of education. The modern university started about 200 years ago in Germany with humanist ideals. An educated population was seen as a value in itself - many subjects taught weren't even very practical and that is still true today.