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Rikard's avatar

A good rule for determining if a post or employment is needed and necessary is to observe what happens when the person stays home.

Does their absence affect work in any meaningful way?

If no, then they and their job isn't needed.

Was it the Netherlands that went without government for over a year, and pretty much everything improved during that "interregnum"?

epimetheus's avatar

Well, there's also the demographic decline--we'll soon find out ('learn') that we don't need all that infrastructure, with the main problem being, I submit, that it's all credit/debt-financed, and lower population numbers also means less taxes = (potential) interest payments…

mary-lou's avatar

more or less, yes. it was more that nothing got worse.

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Feb 4
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epimetheus's avatar

Plus there's the entire nonsense of blaming faculty for puny student attendance or performance when, if one believes the ECTS metrics, 2/3 of whatever work is to be done for a course (in Norway, it's 90+ per cent in 15 ECTS courses) should be done *outside* classes, i.e., it's not the professors' responsibility--but the students'.

epimetheus's avatar

Oh, this is too insane not to mention: 'Sorbonne University-Doha Officially Begins Its Activities'.

That was in 2022, and look at them now: https://www.qatarmoments.com/sorbonne-universitydoha-officially-begins-its-activities-485165.html

mary-lou's avatar

LOL, the Sorbonne in Qatar is only offering courses on law ("legal sciences"). in French. because this 'would benefit the State of Qatar and contribute to achieving its vision of 2030....'.

how would establishing a branch of a university short on funds help solve its financial woes? 'if in debt, go abroad', or some such idiocy?