A crisis of numbers
Something is wrong with this planet. Peace, humanism, justice, education and our lives in general are all in crisis. Higher education is in crisis as well, not only in Korea but also in the U.K., the U.S. and other countries. This is often generalized as a crisis of capitalism, but I think it's more than that. I believe this is also a crisis of the numbers and methods we use to make decisions. As I wrote earlier for The Korea Times, numbers stress people out. The Times Higher Education recently reported that almost 30,000 people lost their jobs at U.K. universities in the last three years. These people have lost their income, and some may now face serious hardship, including housing insecurity, emotional distress, family separation and other severe personal consequences. However, I don't think U.K. university administrations care much about these people; numbers on balance sheets might be more important to them. Moreover, some vice chancellors predict an additional 10,000 job losses this year, according to The Times Higher Education article. What should those 30,000 people do now? Reedu
