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Ricky Thompson

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Does society deliberately and systemically under-educate a major proportion of its citizens in order to condition them for lower paid jobs?

Do the establishment really want a more educated general populace or are they in fact purposely ensuring an uneducated class in order to lower their expecations and obtain a 'flexible' workforce?

If so...

...what mechanisms do they use to do so?

....are they right to do so?

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    peter lindsay 30+

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    Jun 19 2012: In my country at the moment it is almost the opposite. Our federal government is always going on about the education revolution and the skills shortage. The success of a school is measured by how many students go on to university. At the same time some of the greatest employment opertunities are now as unskilled laborers and process workers on production lines as no one seems to want to do those jobs.
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      Sina Elli 10+

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      TED Translator
      Jun 19 2012: It is also the same in my country.
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      Ricky Thompson

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      Jun 19 2012: If this is so I presume that the pay for unskilled laborers etc is rising quickly in order to attract more people, yes? (the question is to both of you, Peter and Sina)
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        peter lindsay 30+

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        Jun 19 2012: Yes it is, in AUS anyway. Minimum wage in AUS is now $15.51 per hour for an adult, and yet many unskilled jobs are taken by recent immigrants and students from O/S because the Australian psyche doesn't value the contribution of cleaners or shopping trolley collectors.
        That's about 50% more than in the UK and double the US
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        pat gilbert 50+

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        Jun 19 2012: Historically what happens is that those type of jobs will be done elsewhere.

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