Two hundred students in Manchester disrupted rush hour traffic and clashed with police – all in the name of education.
Students at Manchester University have been protesting against the lack of time and support from staff and lecturers, compared to students twenty years ago. The lack of support, coupled with mounting pressures on library facilities and the over-crowding of campuses are impeding the education of Manchester students.
Last month a report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), suggested that universities within the UK were being influenced by the unofficial league tables, showing that the reputational factors was far more important to an institution than the measured quality of the academic.
In the wake of this report, students at Manchester have asked that the university stops running itself like a business and more like an academic institution. Robert Gillett, a third-year history student at Manchester feels that the protests have highlighted the students concerns, however if actions are not taken Gillett threatens of further protests.
The vice-chancellor admits that Manchester University has continued to teach in a traditional manner despite growing class sizes and a diminishing staff/student ratio. Following the recent protests it has become clear that changes need to be made to these ‘traditional methods’, but it is not yet known how these will be implemented.
A statement by Prof Gilbert suggests that “radical changes” desperately need to take place at Manchester University. He said: “We are determined to re-personalise the student learning experience, and provide all students with the kind of one-to-one learning that has become increasingly notable by its absence. We are committed to making optimal use of the potential of highly interactive on-line learning environments and to providing all students with world-class classrooms and laboratories.”
He explains that “the university has recently undertaken a root-and-branch review of undergraduate education and is now proceeding to make quite radical changes.”
These changes may not help the current students, but hopefully future students will benefit from the words of Professor Gilbert.
