University education for sale

The University of NSW has played home to a recent spat of controversy, surrounding the University’s new workplace agreement. Though an agreement has been finalised, it was in no way considered an acceptable or fair one by the National Tertiary Education Union. There were many aspects to the dispute, but the major one revolved around job security, or more succinctly, the lack thereof. UNSW Vice-Chancellor Fred Hilmer has been criticised over the terms of the new agreement, job security is something that the Vice Chancellor is clearly not interested in giving his staff.

Coming from a business background, it is unsurprising that Hilmer has been the architect of several books on economic reform, business strategy and a whole swathe of cut throat business models designed to make ones business not only survive, but prosper while swimming against other economic sharks.

Herein lies the problem. Universities are not businesses; something that Hilmer isn’t unaware of, but rather not something he likes to focus on.

Other topics he likes to sweep under the carpet are “silly ideals” like fair working conditions for staff, fair payment and remuneration, staff and student happiness, class sizes and having an acceptable number of courses on offer – particularly in the Arts faculties, which don’t bring in as much green. Who needs to learn Greek or Russian any more! Mandarin is all we need, UNSW is partnered with China after all and don’t they have a wonderful liberal record with students.

There have been many factions trying to hijack the debate over the the teachers workplace agreement into various political agendas, all of which seem to be unhelpful in resolving the conflict.

Instead, the focus should be whether it’s really appropriate to have a self styled high flying business tycoon, singularly focused on dollar signs rather than education at the guiding helm of an institute of learning. A university shouldn’t be treated as a commodity, though economic functions should have their consideration, it shouldn’t be the only one. A student shouldn’t have to listen to the appalling 40% that voted “No” to the agreement, students shouldn’t watch over the years as the university haemorrhages creative academia that are no longer happy working under sub-par conditions. But sadly, this is what the new UNSW is all about, another sweat shop, pumping out Business graduates, engineers and lawyers as those are the only reasons people go to university these days.

By Thomas George