Students have a vision for a higher education sector that serves the public good, not private profit.
The state of tertiary education in Australia is embarrassing. Universities have become institutions operated like businesses with the intention of turning a profit above all else. Students are being crammed into larger classes with fewer teaching staff, and more teaching staff are in insecure work than ever before. Management and financial stakeholders dominate university decision-making, while staff and students have little say on matters which impact them.Massive government cuts to education funding have caused universities to gut essential student services to save money, and rely more and more on international student fees to prop them up.
But our universities can be better. We have a vision for universities who are focused on supporting the community, where students don’t have to struggle to pay for their education. A university where students have a say in policy that affects them and the opportunity to learn rather than just tick the boxes to receive a qualification. Universities which are driven by the pursuit of knowledge, not private profit.
Students are not just customers paying through the nose to receive a certificate that improves their job prospects. Our educational experiences should engage us as learners, representatives and valued contributors to the university community, and to broader society.
We want an end to the corporatisation of universities. Let’s get our education back in our hands.
Reinstate public university funding to adequate levels.To ensure universities create a learning environment for students to flourish
To re-centre student voices and student representation at universities, and ensure that independent student-run organisations are adequately funded and formally recognised across Australia.
The Our Education in Our Hands campaign is run jointly between 5 peak student bodies in Australia- the National Union of Students, Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Associations, Union of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students, and the Council of International Students Australia.
To keep up to date with the campaign, follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OurEducationOurHands/