THE CUTS A big fight against school cuts is the best basis to fight compulsory opt-outs cuts THERE CAN be no doubt that the recent expansion higher education has resulted in an expansion in student debt and in a reduction in spending by universities on each stuAlthough universities and colleges are still funded by central government and now, even more than before, act as proft making organizations (many are now independent corporations).
Fast education is the result - increase the level of profi by increasing the throughfiow of students enough in books or facilities to satifisy... not students but the funding councils!
Universities have used this profit on increased wages to increased numbers of managers, built new buildings for conferences etc. Now that student numbers have been frozen it is both students and the lecturing and administrative staff that are suffering - cutbacks in lecturing staff are Frozen At the same time as the government encourado stu dent growth and then changed its mind, it was also treezing gether.
Maybe it is a little surprising that the student movement and NUS in particular has been so quiet over the last few years. This might be something to do with the people who run NUS and student unions as a fast track to well paid jobs in business or use it to try to become Labour (eg. Phil Woolas) or even Tory MPs.
Rock the boat? No it is easer for the union leaders to organise freshers fairs with the local night clubs so that we an fai further kets cleat nock ing the night away.
However we can do something. There is a growing anger at the state of higher education, as there is about education as a whole.
Link up
The Fight Against Cuts in Education (FACE) demonstration in Landon on 30 Sep tember is a great oportunity for students and workers in higher education to join up with people in secondary and ine coleon We also need to start organising on the ground in our Let's ask the management where money. our money, is going?
Is it going on facilities for students or staff oron new carpets for the vice-chanceltor's office?
We can join together with the campus trades unions in a campaign for increased funding for higher education and put pressure on the Labour Party leadership in the run up to the election. EDUCATION CUTS The Free Education Campaign is planning an autumn demonstration against cuts.
This pressure also needs to be applied to the NUS where a genuinely broad lett coalition needs to be built to oppose the conservative do-nothing lead ership.
This is our future: these are our colleges. Now is the time to start reasserting this - but it is easier to do that if we join together in collective action.