news@glasgowguardian.co.uk
11th May 20092 NEWS
IN BRIEF
Glasgow falls inleague table
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY’S AMNESTYInternational group are leading in this year’sAmnesty International Raise Off.The year-long event sees studentAmnesty groups from all over the UK gohead to head, with the university or collegewhich raised the most money being crownedwinner in June.As the only Scottish university amongstthe 36 competitors, Glasgow Universityis currently in the lead with over £2,500already raised.Rachel Laming, President of Glasgow’sAmnesty group, told Guardian her hopesof winning.She said: “We deserve to win as wehave held consistently good, fun, student-orientated and informative events high-lighting many of Amnesty International’scampaigns.“With the help of the student body wecan win and we can prove that, althoughsmall, Scotland has the potential to comeout on top.”Camilla Kinchin, Amnesty UK’sCommunity Fundraising Coordinator,recognised Glasgow’s achievement in main-taining its position ahead of some of theUK’s most prestigious institutions.She told Guardian: “The Glasgow groupin particular have been absolutely amazing.The amount raised this year is exceedingour expectations.”
(continued from front page)
opposition parties, and the President of theNUS Scotland, Gurjit Singh, also signed.Claire Baker, Labour’s Shadow Furtherand Higher Education Minister, believes thatthe letter highlights the levels of dissatisfactionwith the government’s stance.She said: “This is a damning indictment of the SNP’s first two years in power.“We all stand ready to work togetherwith the government to deliver for studentswho deserve to go through college or univer-sity without such a heavy financial burden.The SNP would be foolish to ignore thisclear message”Gavin Lee, who is also convenor of theCoalition of Higher Education Students inScotland, explained his reasons for signing theletter to Hyslop.He told Guardian: “Any increase in studentfunding is a positive step, but the consulta-tion has not addressed any of the changesthat are imperative to improving the currentfunding system.“Hyslop has shown contempt for the HigherEducation sector and has poured scorn onrequests for students to be properly supported.I’d like to see Fiona Hyslop survive on the£4,510 students are expected to live oneach year.”Speaking to Guardian, Murdo Fraser, DeputyLeader of the Conservatives and Spokesmanfor Education and Lifelong Learning, justifiedhis signing of the letter.He explained: “The Government have allo-cated some £30million for student support,but we in the Scottish Conservatives believethat the way they are proposing to spend itis misguided.”The SNP initially promised a shift from aloans-based system to one focused on grants inan attempt to alleviate student debt. Howeverthe letter argues that this would have cost atleast £2 billion to implement - of which only£30 million has been set aside as part of theconsultation that ran from December.It is now being proposed that the Governmentshould use this money not to end student debtsafter university, but to tackle hardship faced bystudents whilst studying.Gurjit Singh, NUS President, explainedto Guardian why dealing with hardship hasbecome the priority.He said: “This is not something the NUSis leading from – it’s actually coming from ourmembership. We are being told time and timeagain that students are stuck for cash and needmore money, that they’re facing hardship andcan’t get jobs.”Margaret Smith, Liberal DemocratSpokesperson for Education and Young People,also expressed concern over the issue of studentpoverty whilst at university.
(continued from front page)
UCU are looking for an 8% pay rise for itsmembers, whilst the Universities and CollegesEmployer Association (UCEA) has only offereda rise of 0.3%.The UCEA says it is “bewildered” that theUCU intends to ballot its members.Jocelyn Prudence, UCEA Chief Executive,described the campaign for industrial actionas “wholly disingenuous”, as the UCU ismisleading its own members as to the natureof the ballot.She said: “Attempts to conflate pay nego-tiations with scaremongering about local joblosses in the sector are seriously misleading.”The Joint Negotiating Committee for HigherEducation Staff (JNCHES), which is currentlynegotiating the lecturer’s pay settlement, has no jurisdiction to negotiate or regulate jobs in thesector, as the employment of staff is a matterfor each higher education institution.UCEA’s position was supported by SirMuir Russell, Principal and Vice-Chancellorof Glasgow University, who pointed out thatUCEA had no jurisdiction in the area of univer-sity employment.In an open letter to staff, he said: “UCEA,the employer’s negotiating body, has no powerto negotiate on this issue [redundancies] becausethe number of people a university employs is adecision for that institution.“It is difficult to see the mechanismby which a national dispute on this couldbe resolved.”However, Hunt said that nothing is stoppingthe employer’s association from negotiatingan agreement.She said: “There is nothing to preventUCEA negotiating a national agreement toprevent job losses. In fact, in these exceptionalfinancial circumstances, we think it is abso-lutely essential.”UCU have described the 0.3% pay offer as‘derisory’, whereas UCEA believe it is “a real-istic, responsible and credible figure under thecurrent circumstances”.The current pay agreement for lecturersexpires at the end of July, a deal under which
Glasgow set forfundraising win
THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW HASdropped ten places in this years universityleague tables, falling ten places from 16thto 26th.The research, compiled by The CompleteUniversity Guide, also sees Glasgowdrop from second to third in the Scottishleague table, having been overtaken byEdinburgh University.St Andrews remains the top Scottishuniversity and is placed seventh nationally.A spokesman for Glasgow Universitywarned that care should be taken whenreading university league tables, and pointedto the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)and the current increase in applications asa better way of judging the University’scurrent reputation.“Most recently, undergraduate applica-tions to study at University of Glasgow haveleapt up by 14.4% compared with last year.“The figure is almost double the nationalaverage which is a clear indication that theoutstanding quality of teaching and studentexperience offered at Glasgow is widelyrecognised among prospective students.”
Students send “wake-up call” to SNP
She told Guardian: “I am aware that debt isan issue of concern for students, and that somemay argue against increasing the burden of debton students.“However, I do feel that forcing students tolive in poverty or to rely on risky and expensivecommercial, credit card-type loans is wrong,when we could increase their income and avoidhardship with Government supported loans.”In particular the letter proposes a guaran-teed £7000 minimum income for students, agreater availability of loans and a focus on notonly tackling hardship, but funding for child-care too.A spokesperson for the Scottish Governmentargues that the inability to deliver a comprehen-sive reform package is down to lack of avail-able finances.She said: “Given the tightest spendingsettlement received from the UK Governmentsince devolution, we have had to make difficultchoices and are focusing on reducing studentdebt at source through the many policies weare introducing to tackle hardship and improvestudent support.”Opposition parties, whilst admitting that thecurrent financial situation does prevent certainchanges from being enforced, are demandingthat what is available is spent in the best way.Margaret Smith said: “A full reform of student support is not possible at this timewe will not be able to ensure the minimumincome guarantee of £7,000 for every studentovernight, not with the money the Governmenthas set aside.“This is why we have advocated startingwith the poorest students, supporting thosestudents currently in receipt of the YoungStudents’ Bursary.”With the closure of the consultation onstudent funding, the Government nowplans to review all of the responses withthe aim of announcing a funding decision indue course.
Ballot threatens students’ graduations
employees have seen an overall pay rise of atleast 15%.Prudence believes that the pay demandsof lecturers are unattainable considering thecurrent financial situation of the country.She said: “The HE sector is not immunefrom the exceptional economic environment.“Like any other employment sector, HEinstitutions can only pay what can be afforded – meeting immoderate pay demands can onlyresult in job losses and will not be understoodby students or the general public.”Sir Muir described the pay demands as“unaffordable and unrealistic” and believedstrike action would have little support.He said: “At this time of recession, whenmany in the UK are losing jobs, or seeing theirhours and salaries reduced, industrial actionin support of an 8% pay claim will gain littlesympathy from the public and is likely todamage the reputation of our universities.”Furthermore, he warned that any staff taking part in the strike would have theirsalaries withheld.
The Scottish Government
Leave a Comment