Real design education

Education has been under-funded and degraded over the past decades to the extent that ‘training’ more accurately describes the experience. Students no longer need A-levels to enter degree courses, and are ‘empowered’ to choose how they are educated. Cash strapped students are also being lured onto two-year intensive fast-track degree courses, which give little time for reßection and experimentation. Students queue for Macs, while staff wrestle with rising student numbers and laughable budgets. Design Agenda is for excellence in design education, which means properly paid staff teaching students, as opposed to students teaching themselves. It also means that students get the time and space to learn the rules before going onto to break them. As for funding – we say throw money at the problem!