Just then (5pm news) on Radio National there was a story about how delighted university leaders are with the infrastructure money pledged to them from last night's budget.
The radio headline was BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME.
Build it and WHO will come?
I don't know about other campuses, but all ANU has done in the last few years is build buildings. I have heard university management admit that they have lots of money for buildings but no money for staff. Or fittings, for that matter.
WHO WILL FRIGGING COME? WHO WILL USE THE BUILDINGS? WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO LEARN FROM NICE BUILDINGS?
I had to stop folding book pages for a minute because I was spitting in my fury.
Where is the money for people, people? Save teaching jobs. Hire more staff. Give students value for money!!!
This Government sucks. And so will the next one, probably. I want to move somewhere sane. Any suggestions?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
9 comments:
It sucks but I am going back to my prediction that Bill Shorten will be the next Labor PM
New Ziland maybe? I think about moving back. And then I remember that after a week there I'm always dying to get back. Life there is easier in a lot of ways, but it's the fact that it's not a challenge that drives me mad.
The last government was all about funding university buildings without funding anything to put in them, too. For the last 20 years education has been controlled by Treasury, who only lets them invest in things that can be sold off later.
I hate governments who sell stuff. And if anyone is wondering, that carer's one off payment is a complete and utter joke, $600 doesn't go anywhere near funding the Clayton's institution my son lives in (formerly known as his family).
It's taken me all day to realise that my nevvies and nieces are going to suffer from this uncapping of full fee places, as well as the systemic destaffing of tertiary institutions. Demmmed Illiberals.
Yep, it's all f@cked. I have my money on NZ too, as a kind of Utopia, but I've never actually been there. You should hear the beloved moan about science funding in this country.
*looks around nervously for Fyodor*
This is so exactly right Ms Duck. The uncapping of full fee-paying places is where the money to pay for academic's salaries is supposed to come from. That is the govt's idea of the market sorting things out - students will vote with their wallets and courses that people want to do will have money to pay for staff to teach them. If teh kids are that determined to learn 'clever' pomo nonsense then let *them* pay for it! The unprofitable courses will continue to slowly die in the arse, as is only right and proper.
Obviously this is a vast improvement on the current system which sees thousands of overfed academics lying around idly wondering how to fill up the empty hours.
Heh. I just had a mental picture of dugongs lying along a pebbly beach. Then decided that was the pollies, not the academics.
Crit, it is beautiful. And has a very active letterpress/bookbinding scene, which could be because their television service is crap. If it wasn't for the parents and the Albatross, I'd be there in a flash.
What Ms Tartan said, except for the word 'slowly'.
Sigh. Well said - both you & Ms Tartan.
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