Im hoping there will be a good turnout for this and hopefully it would be a good oppurtunity for EWN, IWW and other workers in education to see what initiatives UCU are throwing up, because things are going to get much worse. Already the student fees situation is getting ridiculous, academies are a huge offensive by the government not to mention the nature in which education as been changed over a short period of time.
Agenda looks like it could be a little wishy washy (using the political process to challenge the market), but this is where the militant opposition should be.....now for unison to do something....
Speakers:
* Professor Dexter Whitfield, European Services Strategy Unit
* Professor Ken Spours, Institute of Education
* Professor Roger Seifert, University of Keele
* Sally Hunt, general secretary, UCU
* Christine Blower, deputy general secretary, NUT
As well as contributions from experts, the conference will feature workshops led by activists on:
* resisting city academies
* the marketisation and privatisation of higher education
* the skills agenda, Train2Gain and private providers
* building grassroots responses and organising around marketisation
* using the political process to challenge the market
* defending quality and advancing an alternative vision of education.
With the recent events at Essex and Glasgow Caledonian, not to mention
the collapse of Carter and Carter and the growing campaign against the
government's city academies programme, the marketisation of education
is rapidly becoming a broad campaigning issue for all who work in
education.
Thats why UCU is holding a major conference on Saturday 17 May. At
the conference, you will hear speakers talking about government policy
and the promotion of markets in education, the impact on the education
curriculum, public sector unions responses to marketisation.
You will also be able to participate in a range of workshops
addressing issues like city academies, the skills agenda and
privatisation in higher education. While the conference is free and a
creche is provided, space is limited so if you want to book your
place, now is the time to do so. Click here to register now:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/challengingthemarket