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Business of the Education Committee

24 May 2018

UCU Congress 2018: Friday 1 June 2018, 09:00-09:30.

Motions have been allocated to a section of the NEC's report to Congress (UCU857). Paragraph headings refer to paragraphs within this report. CBC has added some new paragraph headings to facilitate the ordering of motions.

49 - Education
50 - Managerialism
B1 - University admissions from Access programmes

(EP) advisory marking denoting UCU existing policy
All motions taken at a one day special congress.


Developing clear policies, paragraphs 2.1 - 2.2


49  Education - National Executive Committee

Congress commends progress made by the education committee during 2017/18 in its work on widening access; the transformational nature of FE and HE; defence of academic freedom and continued opposition to the marketisation of education.

Congress welcomes the committee's comprehensive statement of UCU policy from cradle to grave as part of its work in support of a National Education Service and encourages all political parties to develop their own NES.

Congress strongly supports the committee's commitment to engaging with members and stakeholders, congratulates the committee on its successful 2018 Cradle to Grave conference and welcomes its decision to review the format and venue of the conference to maximise participation across the UK.

CARRIED AS AMENDED

49A.1   Composite: Open University, East Midlands Regional Committee, London Regional Committee

Add at end:

Congress urges the education committee to review, assess and incorporate the experiences of branches and members of the many strike committees, teach outs and extra-curricular educational experiences for staff, students and supporters during the USS strikes and rallies and to consider how these experiences can be used to invigorate the union's 'Cradle to Grave' strategy. A session on these experiences should form part of the next Cradle to Grave conference.

CARRIED

Substantive motion

Congress commends progress made by the education committee during 2017/18 in its work on widening access; the transformational nature of FE and HE; defence of academic freedom and continued opposition to the marketisation of education.

Congress welcomes the committee's comprehensive statement of UCU policy from cradle to grave as part of its work in support of a National Education Service and encourages all political parties to develop their own NES.

Congress strongly supports the committee's commitment to engaging with members and stakeholders, congratulates the committee on its successful 2018 Cradle to Grave conference and welcomes its decision to review the format and venue of the conference to maximise participation across the UK.

Congress urges the education committee to review, assess and incorporate the experiences of branches and members of the many strike committees, teach outs and extra-curricular educational experiences for staff, students and supporters during the USS strikes and rallies and to consider how these experiences can be used to invigorate the union's 'Cradle to Grave' strategy. A session on these experiences should form part of the next Cradle to Grave conference.


The politics of education, paragraph 3.1


50  (EP) Managerialism - Northumbria University

Education staff widely report burnout, stress, poor health and overall dissatisfaction at work. One cause is rampant managerialism, which is forcing staff into bureaucratic functions and routines that deflect their attention from academic priorities of teaching and scholarship. Managerialism embodies groupthink within a technocracy set on recasting education as a relationship between student-consumers and service providers. Subsequently, staff have been led to adopt new responsibilities, as purveyors of student satisfaction, organisers of enhancement experiences, marketers for degrees, and cast for institutional promotional materials.

UCU recognises in general the need to adapt to political and economic changes, and calls on employers to facilitate adaptation through collegiate decision-making, rather than a top-down approach. Nonetheless, Congress resolves to continue to resist and counteract managerialism, including by researching and reporting on its presence and consequences in education, especially in regard to issues of equality, stress and health and safety.

CARRIED AS AMENDED

50A.1  Anti-casualisation Committee

Add after 'equality' in the last sentence, 'precarity, membership of a union,'

Add to the end,'Congress also resolves to encourage members to submit information about experiences connected to this issue to a specially designed page on the UCU website.'

CARRIED

Subtantive motion

Education staff widely report burnout, stress, poor health and overall dissatisfaction at work. One cause is rampant managerialism, which is forcing staff into bureaucratic functions and routines that deflect their attention from academic priorities of teaching and scholarship. Managerialism embodies groupthink within a technocracy set on recasting education as a relationship between student-consumers and service providers. Subsequently, staff have been led to adopt new responsibilities, as purveyors of student satisfaction, organisers of enhancement experiences, marketers for degrees, and cast for institutional promotional materials.

UCU recognises in general the need to adapt to political and economic changes, and calls on employers to facilitate adaptation through collegiate decision-making, rather than a top-down approach. Nonetheless, Congress resolves to continue to resist and counteract managerialism, including by researching and reporting on its presence and consequences in education, especially in regard to issues of equality, precarity, membership of a union, stress and health and safety.

Congress also resolves to encourage members to submit information about experiences connected to this issue to a specially designed page on the UCU website.


B1  University admissions from Access programmes - South East Regional Committee

Congress notes that Access students in FE are being asked for ridiculously high grades for University entry since replacing the previous pass/fail system with a grading system of pass, merit or distinction.

Congress agrees that UCU should campaign for Universities to redress the unrealistic entry requirements, eg distinctions across the board, for our students. Congress also notes that Access students already face many barriers to education, such as immigration status and access to funding, these practices should therefore be deemed discriminatory.

CARRIED


Last updated: 18 October 2018