Thursday 02-12-2021 - 16:23

The State of Education Panel

Laura Sadler reports on Durham SU’s panel discussion on the state of education today.

Chaired by Seun Twins (SU President)

This event was part of the programme in solidarity with striking UCU staff.

The panel welcomed Declan Merrington (Durham SU Postgraduate Academic Officer), Andrew Gladstone-Heighton (Further Education Expert), Sol Gamsu (Durham UCU Branch President), Luke Alsford (President of the 93% Club) and Kirsty Kane (President: Education at Sunderland Students’ Union) to discuss some of the key issues which are currently faced in UK education systems.

All responses are paraphrased.

 

What are the biggest challenges in your area of education at the moment?

Sol: The four disputes. Casualisation of contracts is rife, staff are worked to the bone and the pension cut is unjustifiable. The education system is based on social inequalities. There’s a loss of democracy, continuing marketisation, state push-back against anti-racism and a failure to address transphobia.

Declan: Tuition and maintenance fees. Education should be accessible to all. The fragmentation of postgraduate funding makes funding difficult for students to understand or obtain. More broadly, a neoliberal agenda has made selfishness standard and the human face of workers and students have been lost.

Luke: Addressing demographics. Universities are catering primarily to wealthy students and their experiences. If universities don’t represent state schools, then top careers will not represent them either.

Andrew: Staff are leaving because of the workloads and gravitating towards practical industries with better pay. There’s also a lack of understanding of the transferrable skills offered by different courses and some are viewed as less valuable.

 

What are your reflections on the impact of the pandemic on your area of education?

Kirsty: We, as an SU, focused on making sure our students knew we were there for them. We also found that online teaching widened accessibility, especially for older students and those with children.

Declan: We’ve learnt of the necessity of lecture capture for disabled students. We still need to improve on awareness of the digital divide, and unequal access to digital tools.

Andrew: Digital access is so important. It’s how we access not just education, but healthcare, social life, government resources.

Sol: We’ve learnt how fast we are able to adapt when profits are in question. We can enact real radical change, and it doesn’t have to be a slow process.

Luke: The pandemic highlighted a lack of mental health support for students. This support needs to be widespread and consistent, not just focused on crisis management.

 

In your utopia, what would be an ideal educational model?

Andrew: One which supports the aspirations of individuals and aligns those individuals with where their aspirations can be met. It focuses on leading them to fuller and more valuable lives.

Kirsty: One with a government that cares, and which gives educational institutions the reins and power to make their own decisions. It would have a focus on life-long learning, that’s not restricted by age or experience.

Sol: It would be a fluid education in which people can move freely no matter their age or background. I would also look towards eroding hierarchies and challenging divisions (e.g. academic/vocational) in the context of broader social change.

Declan: I would like the freedom to challenge age-old traditions without being dismissed. Let’s get rid of the phrase “that’s the way we’ve always done it”.

Luke: My utopia would tackle the continuing class divide in order to combat educational inequalities. It would open up apprenticeships and vocational courses to everyone, and not use them as a way to get working-class students out of competition for HE.

 

Give me two things you would change to initiate educational reform.

Kirsty: The government. Let’s challenge their idea that only the best is desirable and focus on inclusivity. I’d also challenge people’s perceptions of educational narratives.

Declan: I’d like to abolish tuition fees and bring back grants.

Luke: We should aim to stop overworking students and focus on fulfilment and the broader value of education. State schools should be cherished as a viable alternative to private education.

Andrew: We need to remove the competition from Further Education. Also, depoliticise it so it’s taken out of the hands of politicians and untangled from the electoral cycle.

Sol: It would be better to give workers and students control over their institutions. In doing this, I’d abolish the managerial class.

 

Finally, can you summarise what we’ve discussed today?

Luke: Universities are driven by profits. Let’s instead consider the impact on students as people and overall, focus on the human effects of educational policy.

Declan: The pursuit of knowledge needs to be valued in its own right, not just because we are paying for it.

Sol: The key is to build movement to build the future we want.

Andrew: The solidarity and comradeship has been reassuring. Remember there are more of us, than there are of them.

Kirsty: It’s great to hear that all institutions are facing similar issues and to remember it’s not always rosy.

 

If would like to find out more about the UCU’s four fights please visit https://www.ucu.org.uk/he2021 or to find our more about Durham SU’s solidarity events visit: https://www.durhamsu.com/ucu/getting-involved