Signatories include the Nobel prize winner, Sir Richard Roberts and a host [...]]]> Thanks to everyone who has joined the call for the release of Dr Beltran from his imprisonment in Colombia. The University and College Union, together with Justice for Colombia has today submitted to President Santos a letter signed by more than 4000 academics.

Signatories include the Nobel prize winner, Sir Richard Roberts and a host of scholars with international reputations.

While most of the signatories are from the UK, the open letter attracted support from educators in more than 20 countries across the world, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

You can see the open letter submitted to President Santos here: http://educationsolidaritynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/4-May-Academics-Open-Letter-to-President-Santos.pdf

To view the complete list of signatories click here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5474

In addition, Dr Beltran received invaluable support from other unions around the world, including the NTEU in Australia, who added their names to the open letter, the GEW in Germany and the NUT in the UK who both wrote letters of protest to the Colombian government. You can see the GEW’s letter here: http://educationsolidaritynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Carta-Thoene-a-Calderon.pdf

Thanks to all of you for your support. We will update you on any news regarding our colleague in Colombia as soon as we have it.

UCU.

In Italy, things are going from bad to worse. This Government has cut funding in every public branch. Schools, Universities and public institutions of research have been the first victims. We had, all in all, a cut of about 10 billions euros in 3 years, which [...]]]> A report from Marco Broccati, FLC CGIL (Italy)

In Italy, things are going from bad to worse. This Government has cut funding in every public branch. Schools, Universities and public institutions of research have been the first victims. We had, all in all, a cut of about 10 billions euros in 3 years, which means a cut of 150,000 teachers and researchers in the same period. At this time, school teachers are striking in front of the Parliament without eating and drinking. But the Minister of Education Gelmini refuses to meet them, pretending that this is a “political protest” set up by the opposition Parties. Our public school system is disrupted: we cannot guarantee services to families. So is the University system: by the end of the year, most Universities will not be able to pay the wages of teachers and technical-administrative staff. As for research institutions, all funding for research projects has been cut. The so-called “reforms” of school and university have only the aim to cut and reduce the role and presence of the public sector, giving way to private schools and universities. It should be remarked that while the funding of public institutions has been reduced, private institutions have grown their funding. This year we’ll have to deal with about 40,000 school teachers losing their job. Can you call this the “knowledge society”? It really looks like a project to create an “ignorant society” This is what our Government is planning for our future. But they won’t succeed. Knowledge workers and FLC will make a stand.

Marco Broccati. FLC CGIL.

This comes at the same time as news that 200,000 young people will miss out on a university place this year as a result [...]]]> 22,000 staff risk losing their jobs if the government presses ahead with plans to cut 25% more from already slashed HE budgets, according to UCU research published in July: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=4736&from=4725&start=11

This comes at the same time as news that 200,000 young people will miss out on a university place this year as a result of cuts already made and that the government is encouraging young people to ‘aim lower’ in the future: http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=4988&from=4775

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt has warned the government that “Other countries are increasing the number of graduates to compete in a high-skill knowledge economy, yet our government seems intent on doing the opposite. It is not scaremongering to talk about a lost generation of learners.”

http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=4749&from=4725

It is also this context of public austerity that is accelerating the drive toward using the private sector: http://educationsolidaritynetwork.org/2010/08/uk-academics-slam-privatisation-of-universities-as-bpp-becomes-university-college/