Education has long been seen as the primary route to personal and social progress. But critics now argue that the encouragement of ever more education for a longer period in subjects largely irrelevant to working life is mistaken. Some go further claiming that post-graduate degrees are little more than pyramid schemes, driving university income but of little or no value to the individual or society.
In the age of Wikipedia should we give up amassing knowledge as a measure of success, and seek to acquire judgment rather than knowledge? Do we need a radical re-think of our educational goals and how they should be delivered? Or are our current universities a great institution and a global UK success story?
Blair's Education Minister and Labour Peer Andrew Adonis, former leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett and libertarian economist Jamie Whyte consider a crisis in higher education.