Campaign hits out at cuts
STUDENTS at the Free Hetherington occupation have launched a campaign against the proposed cuts in education at Glasgow university.
The move comes as the University Court deliberates on the proposal to axe several course from the curriculum.
Among the studies under threat are social work, humanities at the Crichton campus in Dumfries, Slavonic studies and Scottish training on drugs and alcohol.
Those courses which have already won a reprieve are archaeology, classical studies, most languages, nursing – for one year and the department of adult and continuing education, which has been privatised.
The university claimed that it had to find £20 million worth of cuts and this had put the future of some courses under scrutiny.
However, the Scottish government secretary for education and lifelong learning, Mike Russell, said that the decision was premature.
He argued that the cuts were based on old figures and the university should hold off on any decisions until the situation had been reviewed.
But the students are not prepared to wait until the outcome of the review and have planned a series of protests to increase pressure on principal Anton Muscatelli to ditch the cuts.
They have declared that the principal must reverse course or stand down from his position.
By way of an alternative savings strategy, students have put forward the notion of scrapping plans for outsourcing an IT web development project and thereby saving £13.2 million.
The campaign will culminate in a march on the University Court on June 22 when it makes its final decision.
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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