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Universities Australia attacks Coalition’s $2.2bn funding cut revealed in Myefo

Noticias

Australia/Diciembre de 2017/Fuente: The Guardian

Resumen:  El gobierno federal recortará $ 2.2bn de las universidades principalmente a través de un congelamiento de dos años en fondos de becas de la Commonwealth para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. La perspectiva económica y fiscal de mitad de año dio a conocer la nueva medida, que no requerirá legislación, para reemplazar el paquete de $ 2.8bn de recortes de fondos y aumentos de tarifas en el presupuesto de 2017, que fue bloqueado por el Senado. Si bien no limita directamente los lugares estudiantiles, el freno de mano en los fondos ejercerá presión sobre las universidades para limitar las inscripciones de los estudiantes porque no recibirán becas estatales directas si aumentan las inscripciones.

The federal government will cut $2.2bn from universities predominantly through a two-year freeze in commonwealth grants funding for teaching and learning.

The midyear economic and fiscal outlook unveiled the new measure – which will not require legislation – to replace the $2.8bn package of funding cuts and fee rises in the 2017 budget, which was blocked by the Senate.

While not directly capping student places, the handbrake on funding will put pressure on universities to cap student enrolments because they will not receive any direct commonwealth grants if enrolments increase.

The treasurer, Scott Morrison, told a press conference on Monday that more than 90% of the $2.2bn cut would be achieved through the funding freeze. Other elements, including reducing the repayment threshold for student loans to $45,000 and a new lifetime limit for loans, will still need legislation.

Commonwealth grant scheme funding for bachelor degrees will be frozen at 2017 levels in 2018 and 2019, with increases from 2020 onwards subject to performance targets and “capped at the growth rate in the 18 to 64-year-old population”, the Myefo papers revealed.

Graduates earning more than $45,000 will have to pay 1% of their income to clear their student debts, down from the current threshold of about $52,000. The repayment rate will rise to 10% at the upper end for those earning $131,989 or more.

From 2019 the most students can borrow from the government for university and vocational education will be $104,440 except for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science students, who will have a more generous $150,000 cap.

Morrison said these two measures accounted for less than $250m over four years.

The Universities Australia chairwoman, Margaret Gardner, said the freeze amounted to a “real cut” in funding – due to inflation – even if universities simply maintain current student numbers.

“And for universities that are still growing their student numbers to meet the needs in their local communities and regional economies, this will be an even deeper cut,” she said.

Australians who live in regional areas are only half as likely to have a degree as city dwellers and would therefore be most likely to miss out.

“Australian students already pay a significant share of their higher education costs compared to many other nations and we share the concerns of our students about [the proposed student loan cap],” Gardner said.

The Group of Eight universities chair, Peter Høj, said the government was treating the sector like a “cash cow to be milked for budget cuts” rather than a means to improve the career opportunities of young people.

In a statement on Monday, the education minister, Simon Birmingham, said that, despite the savings measures, the government’s direct funding to universities for teaching, learning and research would still grow by 8% from $10.7bn in 2017 to $11.5bn in 2021.

Taxpayer-backed student loans paid to universities will grow from $6.4bn to $7.4bn, meaning universities would have a “total funding increase of 11%, if [they] maintain their current enrolment patterns”, he said.

Birmingham said the government was not capping student places and argued that universities could continue to grow enrolments if they made cuts to the 15% “headroom” that Deloitte identified was spent on administration and other costs out of commonwealth grants for teaching and learning.

Birmingham blamed rising higher education costs for the budget deficit, accusing Labor, the Greens, the Nick Xenophon Team and the university sector of “turning a blind eye to the challenges confronting both the federal budget and higher education”.

“Australia must face up to the task of putting our higher education costs on a more sustainable, responsible path for the future while also having a stronger focus on supporting students,” he said.

The two-year freeze replaces a proposed 2.5% efficiency dividend on commonwealth grant scheme payments in 2018 and 2019.

The government dumped its proposed cumulative fee increases of 7.5% by 2021 and moderated its proposal to reduce the student debt repayment threshold to $42,000.

The Myefo announcement also cancels spending measures in the 2017 budget to provides further subsidies for sub-bachelor courses such as diplomas.

Controversial changes to charge permanent residents and New Zealanders full fees were dumped.

The shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, accused the government of “mortgaging the future and attacking one of the sources of Australia’s long-term economic prosperity, our higher education sector”.

Speaking before the release of Myefo, the shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, said that “billions of dollars’ worth of cuts to universities mean a higher-cost education for students or a poorer-quality education or probably both”.

Plibersek accused the government of “coming around through the back door and taking billions of dollars out of higher education in other ways” after the Senate had blocked its 2017 budget proposal.

The Greens’ education spokeswoman, Sarah Hanson-Young, warned that the changes would cap student places and increase university fees, “pricing people out of education”.

She called on Labor and the crossbench to block the lowering of the student loan repayment threshold.

Fuente: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/18/coalitions-22bn-cut-from-universities

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Australia: Schools are not adequately preparing young Australians to participate in our democracy

Noticias

Oceanía/Australia/Diciembre del 2017/https://theconversation.com/

Australia’s youth are interested in politics and are passionate about issuesbut, unless we take note of the latest report into civics and citizenship education, their capacity to participate in democracy and shape society in future may be limited.

Since 2004, the National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) has been administered every three years to a national sample of year six and ten students. It’s used to measure students’ level of knowledge about subjects including Australian government, judiciary and democratic processes, and explores their attitudes towards civic participation.

The 2016 NAP-CC report has just been released and the results show some concerning, but familiar, trends.

As with previous assessments, the percentage of Australian students achieving the proficient standard remains low. This is a point on a scale that represents what has been deemed as a challenging but reasonable expectation of student achievement for their year level.

The report shows 55% of year 6 students achieved at or above the standard.

More problematic is the fact the rate of year 10 students attaining this standard was just 38%. This is the lowest result on record.

Civics and citizenship is a government priority

Enhancing young people’s understanding of civics and citizenship has been a priority for successive Australian governments.

The Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship was developed in 2012/2013 to provide educators with tools to teach students about democracy and civic participation. This curriculum is delivered to students from Year 3 to Year 10. It’s based on the principle that informed and committed citizens will advance a robust democracy and schools play a vital role in preparing young people for the responsibilities of adult citizenship.

Read more: National curriculum review: experts respond

This latest report into civics and citizenship education is the first opportunity for educators to see how students are performing under the new curriculum, and the results are disappointing. It shows by Year 10, Australian school students don’t possess the fundamentals deemed necessary to become active, informed citizens.

So what else should be done to help prepare our young people to participate in the democratic process?

What do young people think?

We have been undertaking research with recent school leavers aged 18 and 19 about their preparedness to participate in the Australian political process.

Many have told us they’re interested in political issues, but are uncertain about how the system works.

They also believe more could’ve been done to address this knowledge deficit while they were in school.

Read more: Young Australians are engaged in political issues, but unsure how democracy works

These high school graduates reported, while they could recall the subject being covered when they were in primary and early secondary school, they did not remember what had been taught.

The young people we spoke to suggested civics and citizenship education be extended through to Year 12. Interestingly, they wanted it to be viewed more as a life skill (similar to drug and alcohol education, for example) and not an academic subject.

They said young people need support when they’re approaching voting age and it would be useful for schools to assist with enrolment and provide basic information about the system of voting.

As one 18-year-old put it:

The last time that my high school spoke about politics I was in Year 9. I was 14 years old. I’m not voting yet, it’s not relevant to me, I’m not even 16. I can’t even go to the doctors by myself.

A simple and clear explanation in late high school would help alleviate the feelings of uncertainty first-time voters can experience when they go to cast a vote at the ballot box.

As another 18-year-old said about her peers:

So many of my friends said to me, “which box do I tick?” and, “what do you mean I have to go above the line and below the line?”. Basic definitions and terminology is really important.

Where to from here?

The 2016 National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship report tells us by Year 10, a majority of school students have little knowledge about Australian civics and democracy. This is concerning, especially as many students don’t encounter the topic later in high school, yet they will be required to vote when they turn 18.

Young Australians want more specific information about voting closer to the time they become eligible to vote. Bradley Kanaris/AAP

We need to ensure all young people have the basic skills required to engage in Australia’s political process. As young Australians approach voting age they need simple, clear and practical instructions about the mechanics of how government works and how to vote.

School is the best place to teach this and it should be covered in the senior years. Doing so would help more young people become confident and empowered participants in Australia’s democracy.

Fuente: https://theconversation.com/schools-are-not-adequately-preparing-young-australians-to-participate-in-our-democracy-88131

Fuente Imagen:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sM19Maq17XdDol_RY1DJZRxSUDBiaV1ejL2yDo5Ge0CvmnYkm0lzqL591OX2ktUaJS7M=s170

 

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Australia: NAPLAN 2017 results have largely flat-lined, and patterns of inequality continue

Noticias

Oceanía/Australia/Diciembre del 2017/https://theconversation.com

Today’s release of the 2017 NAPLAN National Report confirms preliminary findings released in August and offers deeper insights into achievement trends since the assessment program began a decade ago.

The results paint an overall portrait of plateauing student achievement in literacy and numeracy, mixed with pockets of improvement and persistent inequalities between young people from different backgrounds.

High level trends over the past decade

NAPLAN takes place annually. It assesses Australian school students in years three, five, seven and nine across four domains: reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, and grammar and punctuation), and numeracy.

Nationally, NAPLAN results have flat-lined in most areas since testing was first conducted in 2008. There are no statistically significant differences in achievement across the majority of domains and year levels.

Read more: NAPLAN is ten years old – so how is the nation faring?

Improvements can be seen in a limited number of domains and year levels. There are statistically significant increases in spelling (years three and five), reading (years three and five), numeracy (year five), and grammar and punctuation (year three).

National numeracy trends 2008-2017. ACARA

Year seven writing is the only area to show a statistically significant decline. It remains a major area of concern.

State and territory comparisons reveal good news for Queensland and Western Australia. Both show improvements across a number of domains and year levels.

New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory show high achievement, but results have plateaued.

The Northern Territory continues to lag significantly behind the rest of the nation across all domains and year levels.

The vast majority of young people meet the National Minimum Standards (NMS). NMS provide a measure of how many students are performing above or below the minimum expected level for their age across the domains.

NMS percentages are over 90% for the majority of domains and year levels. But NMS percentages vary widely. For example, only 55.7% of students in the Northern Territory meet the NMS for year seven writing, compared to 90.8% in Victoria.

Background affects achievement

This year’s results show clear patterns of achievement between young people from different backgrounds. In many cases, these differences reflect broader inequalities in Australian society.

Notable trends include:

  • gender differences are persistent. Female students perform significantly better than male students in writing, and grammar and punctuation across all year levels. For example, 88.1% of female students meet the NMS for year nine writing, compared to 75.4% of male students
  • students with a language background other than English (LBOTE) performed significantly better in spelling than non-LBOTE students across all year levels. LBOTE students have also shown gains since 2008 in reading (years three and five), grammar and punctuation (years three and seven), spelling (years three and five) and numeracy (year five)

Year 5 spelling: students with a language background other than English (LBOTE) compared to non-LBOTE students.ACARA
  • Indigenous students have shown statistically significant gains since 2008 in reading (years three and five), spelling (years three and five), grammar and punctuation (years three and seven) and numeracy (years five and nine). But Indigenous students still trail significantly behind non-Indigenous students across all domains and years levels

Year 5 reading: achievement differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. ACARA
  • parental education is a key factor determining student achievement. For example, in year three grammar and punctuation, the mean scale score for a young person whose parents have a Bachelor degree or above is 479.7, compared to 369.6 for students whose parents have a Year 11 equivalent or below. Similar patterns are reflected across all domains and year levels
  • geographical location also has a major bearing on student achievement. For example, in year three grammar and punctuation, the mean scale score for young people in major cities was 450, compared to 284.6 for young people from very remote and 411.5 for outer regional locations.

As always, tread cautiously with data

NAPLAN is one useful measure of student achievement in Australian schooling.

When interpreted carefully, it can help policy makers, researchers, school leaders, teachers, students and parents better understand and debate literacy and numeracy achievements. It also serves to highlight pockets of underachievement and disadvantage, and can play an important role informing policy interventions and investments.

Read more: Evidence-based education needs standardised assessment

But NAPLAN is not an oracle and can only tell us so much. So we should treat these results carefully.

To get a more accurate picture of achievement trends, we need to take a number of indicators into consideration. This should go beyond the basics of literacy and numeracy, including achievements in ATAR subjects, year 12 attainment rates, and more.

NAPLAN results should also be considered in relation to other standardised assessments, which do not always tell the same story.

For example, the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) suggest reading achievement among Australian children has improved significantly, whereas the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows steadily declining Australian results in all areas, including reading.

It’s also important to analyse school and student level NAPLAN data, which will be released in March 2018. It will no doubt lead to another round of debates about the role of NAPLAN in our schools.

Fuente:

https://theconversation.com/naplan-2017-results-have-largely-flat-lined-and-patterns-of-inequality-continue-88132

Fuente Imagen: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Nrc1tCbuLew0bcSfJHcRtqiLgR64N4zyqP1PCV8oJ4kxIrvTh4VXCXAlG-akl-zAfD2BkQ=s124

 

 

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Australia: TAFE crisis spreads to international students

Noticias

Australia/Diciembre de 2017/Fuente: The Advertiser

Resumen: El Departamento de Educación Federal se ha puesto en contacto con TAFE para buscar la seguridad de que los estudiantes podrán completar su estudio o recuperar su dinero. Pero los expertos de la industria están preocupados por el impacto de la crisis actual en el principal fabricante de dinero del estado, que inyectó más de $ 1.4 mil millones en la economía de SA en el último año. La educación internacional fue la segunda exportación más grande de Australia del Sur después del vino el año pasado. El presidente de Educación Adelaide, Bill Spurr, advirtió que el asunto podría poner en peligro la industria. Dijo que el organismo, que comercializaba Adelaide como un centro de excelencia educativa en nombre de los gobiernos y las instituciones, había recibido llamadas de agentes extranjeros preocupados por los acontecimientos.

The Federal Education Department has contacted TAFE to seek assurance the students are going to be able to complete their study or get their money back.

But industry experts are concerned about the impact of the ongoing crisis on the state’s major money maker, which pumped more than $1.4 billion into SA’s economy in the past year. International education was South Australia’s second largest export after wine last year.

Education Adelaide chair Bill Spurr warned the matter could jeopardise the industry.

He said the body, which marketed Adelaide as a centre of education excellence on behalf of governments and institutions, had been taking calls from overseas agents concerned about the unfolding events.

“News spreads fairly fast through social media in the international education industry,” Mr Spurr said.

“It’s essential it’s fixed quickly and students cannot be left out of pocket. It’s disappointing but I’m sure it will be fixed up by TAFE because international education is too important as a sector.”

Skills Minister Susan Close promised the TAFE SA international team would contact affected students. International students were understood to have been emailed last week.

“I have been advised by TAFE SA that there are four affected qualifications that are offered to international students,” Dr Close said.

“My main priority is to ensure all students receive the support and advice they need and there is minimal disruption to their studies.

“International students have special concerns and requirements in terms of travel, visas and accommodation and I am committed to working with them to minimise any inconvenience.”

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham wanted to assure international students there was a “safety net” in place to ensure none were left “high and dry”. He said the State Government should work hard to minimise the impact the “debacle” could have on the state’s reputation.

Fuente: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/tafe-crisis-spreads-to-international-students/news-story/3ae24bdb6d20bfc61b48b9307375c109

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Australia: la crisis de la formación profesional se dirige hacia la crisis social.

Internacional de la Educación

La erosión del sistema de formación profesional de Australia, en parte debido a la privatización, ahora está afectando a la sociedad y al futuro de los jóvenes

Por: Internacional de la Educación.

Después de recortes presupuestarios severos durante la última década en Australia, el programa de formación profesional de countryrsquos TAFE, educación técnica y avanzada está en crisis El número de estudiantes ha disminuido en más del 25 por ciento desde 2012 y el sector TAFE ha sido particularmente afectado por la pérdida de empleos. fue dirigido por la Unión Educativa Australiana AEU miembro de la Internacional de la Educación EI en su conferencia nacional El futuro de las instituciones públicas TAFE – nueva política social el 20 de octubre El objetivo del evento fue reimaginar el papel de TAFE a la luz de un asentamiento en educación vocacional en Australiardquo Sector diezmado En el pasado reciente, los sistemas TAFE han sido diezmados por los recortes al financiamiento de miles de reducciones de personal docente en cierres de campus, una disminución en el rango de cursos y aumentos de tarifas para estudiantes queexcluir a los más necesitados ldquoNecesitamos una política pública sólida para las instituciones TAFE que reconstruyan su rol social más amplio permitiéndoles satisfacer las necesidades de los jóvenes y sus comunidades, así como las necesidades de la industria «, dijo Pat Forward AEUrsquos Federal TAFE Secretary ldquoA público bien provisto.

El sistema TAFE es el eje de esa política. Es la responsabilidad del gobierno australiano financiar adecuadamente el sistema y valorar a ldquoTAFE como una institución pública vital para construir una sociedad mejor. Agregó nuevas investigaciones. La conferencia reunió a académicos e investigadores, incluida la profesora asociada Leesa Wheelahan de el Dr. Jim Stanford de la Universidad de Toronto Director del Centro de Trabajo Futuro del Instituto de Australia y el Profesor John Buchanan Director de la Disciplina de análisis de negocios en la Universidad de Sydneyasí como maestros y representantes sindicales. La conferencia también fue sede del lanzamiento australiano de Wheelahan y Gavin Moodiersquos.

Global Trends in TVET un marco para la justicia social. EIrso. Angelo Gavrielatos director de proyecto de EIrsquos Global Response against the Commercialization and Privatization of Educación destacó los principales puntos del estudio La variedad de estructuras y enfoques educativos para este área de rápido crecimiento La necesidad de dar a los estudiantes más que capacitación centrada en el trabajo La importancia de adoptar un enfoque holístico para los estudiantes de EFTP El impacto negativo de la privatización en este sector La mejor práctica, es decir, Alemania, donde la TVET está financiada por el Estado y administrada por el estado La necesidad de que los estudiantes de EFTP puedan acceder a las trayectorias académicas hacia la educación superior si así lo eligen nbsp EILa TVET no cumple con las vías educativas ldquoTVET es un área crucial de desarrollo para hasta dos tercios de los estudiantes que no toman cursos académicos tradicionales enfocados en la universidad, dijo la presidenta de la IE Susan Hopgood ldquo El hecho de que se están posicionando en cursos a menudo del sector privado mal visto por la academia, pero convenientemente llenando un agujero en las estadísticas del gobierno necesita más investigación basada en la evidencia, como el estudio EFTP de EI, para ver qué está pasando realmente.

Añadió que este estudio destaca la necesidad del sector de TVET pero que no alcanza la promesa de proporcionar vías educativas para todos los estudiantesnbspldquoEl enfoque de capacidades productivas propuesto en el informe haría que los estudiantes de EFTP no solo recogieran habilidades, por ejemplo, en mecánica o peluquería, sino también aprendiendo habilidades de ciudadanía ydesarrollando una gama más amplia de capacidades para un lifetimerdquo.

Fuente:  https://regions.ei-ie.org/asiapacific/detail_ap_news/?id=15485

Imagen: https://ei-ie.org/media_gallery/38292.jpg

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How Australia can help reform higher education in India

Noticias

06 de diciembre de 2017 / Fuente: http://theconversation.com

The Indian higher education system faces stiff challenges. Australians may not imagine they’re well placed to help. But there are opportunities for exciting collaboration between Australia and India in reforming higher education.

In 2004 and 2005 I spent a year living in the north Indian city of Meerut, where I was working as a geographer and anthropologist. Every day I’d get up, walk past a crowded tea stall, and enter the local college to chat to students.

On one side of the college gate was a statue of Gandhi. He passed through the campus in the early 1920s, when the college attracted students from as far away as Nepal.

Near the statue a small group of students congregated to protest about corruption in the city. They called themselves the Chingari group – “chingari” means “spark” in Hindi.

On the left of the gate was a decrepit science block. A student had scrawled on the building in huge white letters “In need of an acadmic atmosphere” – with “academic” misspelled. Although a few students saw themselves as sparks and tried to effect change, the general feel of the college was depressing. The graffiti was like a projection of the mood of most students I met. One told me:

The equipment here is like the equipment in your country fifty years ago. They should throw it down a well.

One in ten people in the world is Indian youth under the age of 30.

Roughly 94% of Indian students study at state-run universities and colleges. These State run institutions face many challenges.

First, curricula are poor. India has a rich tradition of critical education. The British systematically eroded this system, and post-colonial governments have not been able to sufficiently revise colonial courses. By some estimates, only a tenth of those graduating from private colleges in India have skills relevant to employment markets.

Second, there is a lack of research occurring in universities. This partly reflects Prime Minister Nehru’s decision in the 1950s to channel research funds into non-university research institutes. And this situation is getting worse. In 1990 India produced more scientific research papers per year than China. In 2011 India produced barely 30% of China’s.

Other major problems include inadequate governance arrangements and mismanagement within universities, poor university links to industry, and lack of funding. Educated unemployment and underemployment is also a critical issue. Some students say they’re engaged only in “timepass”: everyday efforts to stave off boredom and manage a sense of dead time.

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a leader in the Indian independence movement against British rule. Shutterstock

Why should Australia be involved?

There’s a moral argument for Australian universities to engage with this situation, since they profit from Indian student enrolments.

There’s also a financial incentive. People in regional India are spending enormous amounts of money on poor quality education. Australian providers could fill the gap in this market by offering better quality courses.

There’s also untapped talent among the mass of Indian students in state-run universities and colleges. Australian universities should be helping to identify and provide opportunities to these many great minds.

And there’s a mandate from many sections of the Indian government. Niti Aayog, India’s Policy Commission, has called for international assistance in reforming higher education.

Challenges to collaboration

Australia is poorly placed to respond to this challenge in some respects.

Despite the tripling of the Indian population in Australia since 2005, India knowledge in Australia is low. Six universities in Australia taught an Indian language in 1996. Now only two do.

Australian universities tend to concentrate only on engaging with elite higher education institutions in India, which puts the significant amount of students in regional Indian institutions at a disadvantage.

Strategies for collaboration

There are reasons for hope. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to reform higher education in India.

Within India, philanthropists have established some excellent private universities in recent years that could generate educational and economic growth in the regions they’re located. Australian universities have recruited faculty with Indian expertise, and are already engaging in some exciting experiments in this space.

How efforts could be extended:

  1. Australian universities could link with top universities in India to create regional educational ecosystems. Many of the best new private universities in India are already engaged with their regions. Ashoka University, for example, runs workshops for college principals and outreach programs in schools. Australia could learn from and supplement such initiatives, using the best private and public universities as hubs.
  2. Australian universities could sponsor basic research. We know almost nothing about Indian higher education in regional and rural India. Even within India there’s very little understanding of higher education in those areas.
  3. Australian universities could develop access scholarships for talented Indian students who are not part of the elite. This might entail trusting Australian faculty with India expertise to make qualitative assessments of students outside the normal metrics.

For these approaches to work, we need to use Australian universities’ experience in thinking about access and diversity onshore, and apply it in India.

Some of my friends in Meerut have responded to educated unemployment by getting involved in counterfeit private education. They are reproducing the system that produced them as unemployed youth. But others are energetically improving their local school and college systems. These “sparks” could be partners in reform.

Fuente noticia: http://theconversation.com/how-australia-can-help-reform-higher-education-in-india-88479

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Australia: Australian education poll: 60% say funding cuts limit university access

Noticias

Australia / 06 de diciembre de 2017 / Fuente: https://www.theguardian.com

Education minister is reportedly preparing to end program that helps students from low-income families

Six out of 10 Australians think cuts to university funding would limit access to tertiary education and the same proportion would oppose attempts to reduce the education budget by circumventing the parliament, polling conducted for the university’s lobbying arm has found.

On Monday it was reported the education minister, Simon Birmingham, was considering non-legislative changes to funding, including axing the higher education participation and partnerships program (Heppp), which helps students from low-income families access university.

Universities Australia responded on Tuesday by releasing polling conducted on its behalf which found 60% of respondents opposed cutting equity programs that support poorer students to go to university, without approval from parliament.

Almost as many (59%) opposed cutting research funding for universities without approval from parliament, another measure reportedly being considered by the government, and 63% agreed cuts to funding would limit access.

The numbers were higher among people from regional areas and over 55s, with 69% of those demographics saying they opposed cuts to funding that were not put through parliament.

The poll of 1,575 people was conducted by JWS Research between 24 and 28 November.

The chief executive of Universities Australia, Belinda Robinson, said the results showed the government would be making the wrong decision if it pursued non-legislative cuts.

“The government keeps coming up with creative new ways to cut funding to public universities, but the message from voters remains the same: it’s the wrong decision for Australia’s future,” she said.

“The Senate has been crystal clear on this too, and would quite rightly take a dim view of any bid to go around the legislative protections for higher education funding.
“They can see what the government seems unable to: cuts to universities are not what this country needs as we head into an era of stronger global competition and a greater need for higher skills.”

The government has sought to put pressure on opponents of the government’s higher education bill by hinting it would find another way to reduce education spending if necessary.

On Monday Birmingham said the government was “considering all options” to trim spending.

The bill, which is opposed by Labor, the Greens and the Nick Xenophon team, would impose a two-year 2.5% efficiency dividend on universities, lower the Help debt repayment threshold to $42,000 and increase fees by a cumulative total of 7.5% by 2021, and would introduce performance contingent funding aimed at increasing graduate outcomes.

Fuente noticia: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/05/education-poll-60-per-cent-say-funding-cuts-limit-access-to-university

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Page 27 of 101
1 … 25 26 27 28 29 … 101