HE Convention for the defence of Higher Education

This UCU branch notes

1. The Governments green paper, Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching
Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, outlines the blueprint for
the wholesale privatisation of Higher Education in England.
2. Central to this privatisation is the provision of increasing student fees, new
debt for part-time students, bankruptcy for Universities and new quality
inspection, the Teaching Excellence Framework, which imposes defined
norms for provision.
3. Claims in the green paper that the changes will improve access and
equality to disadvantaged groups has no justification.
4. The organising of an important Convention for Higher Education bringing
together activists in the UCU with campaigning groups, including the
Council for the Defence of British Universities and the Campaign for the
Public University to be held on Saturday 27 th February.
This UCU branch believes
1. Privatisation will not improve quality for students and increasing student
debt will not increase access to higher education amongst disadvantaged
groups.
2. New entrants and, accompanying plans for, exit will undermine confidence
in the reputation and quality of higher education for all students.
3. The introduction of a Teaching Excellence Framework will significantly
undermine academic freedom and the linkages between teaching,
scholarship and research imbedded within Higher Education.
4. A campaign bringing UCU and wider groups within the academy has the
potential to stop the green papers proposals.
This UCU branch resolves
1. To support the HE Convention by providing a donation of 50, to
publicise the HE Convention among our membership and encourage
participation by funding the attendance of six or more members to the
HE Convention.
2. To initiate a seminar on the HE Convention in our University over the
following semester using the HE Convention material and model as a
framework.
3. To undertake political campaigning by writing to our MPs calling for
them to oppose the proposals in the green paper.
4. To send a motion to the UCU Congress committing UCU to oppose the
TEF and the expected government privatisation bill, which will emerge
from the green paper.