Realigning the Education Ecosystem

Addressing Misaligned Incentives and Inequities in Global Learning

The stark reality we face today is that a staggering 93% of the global population lacks a secondary education degree. Even in countries boasting the highest educational standards, the majority of individuals remain without a college degree. In an age where the knowledge economy reigns supreme, education emerges as the most compelling lever to elevate living standards and foster social equity. While the current educational paradigm might suffice for the fortunate 7%, there is an imperative need for transformative models capable of reaching and uplifting the underserved 93%.

The current university system is like a misaligned machine, creating problems for everyone involved. For university administrators, the goal often becomes about increasing numbers: more fees from students, more staff, more construction projects, and sadly, less pay for most teachers. For students, this system encourages taking on bigger debts, sticking to safe or even dishonest answers, and enduring less face-to-face time with their teachers. Teachers, on the other hand, are pushed to lessen their student interaction, focus more on quantity over quality of work, and put in extra hours without pay. This alignment of incentives is causing considerable strain and harm to our educational system.

A significant number of teachers in countries like the United States, and the United Kingdom have jobs that aren't stable. These jobs are often temporary or part-time and don't provide the same security as a full-time, permanent job. This is a common problem in the world of teaching, and it's even worse at some of the top universities. For example, at the University of Oxford, 66% of staff are on temporary contracts, i.e., 49% of teaching-only academics and 87% of research-only staff being on temporary contracts.

When teachers have these temporary contracts, they know there's an end date to their job. Often, they are paid less than if they were on a permanent contract. This leaves them open to being taken advantage of, as they often work extra hours without being paid, just to compete for more temporary jobs.

Unlike professions such as lawyers or doctors, teachers can't start their own practices. Teachers with temporary contracts often spend a lot of their time looking for their next job, which takes away from their teaching and their ability to contribute to society. When their contract ends, teachers often go through periods of time with no income, forcing them to use up their savings or rely on government support until they can find their next job. We believe the stress and financial strain of this situation is harmful to society.

Many students around the world are dealing with a lot of debt, which is causing stress and negatively impacting their mental health. This debt can put extra pressure on students and may even lead them to cheat on exams, copy others' work, or just stick to safe and predictable answers. Despite the increasing cost of education, students often have limited interaction with expert professors. Often, professors are teaching the same material each year that students could easily find online, like on YouTube.

Furthermore, it's not ideal for students to be taught by professors who don't have secure jobs. Learning isn't about memorizing standard answers, and we worry that courses designed to be taught the same way every year might not keep up with the latest research and might leave behind students from low-income backgrounds.

Personal attention is crucial for students' intellectual growth, but many students don't get the support they need because they don't have enough access to their teachers. Only a few universities can provide one-on-one, personalized teaching that helps determine the best learning path for each student. In the U.S., the universities that do offer small class sizes usually charge high fees, which often leads to a lifetime of debt for students.