International Socialists

Simon Edmunds

1998 is going to be another year full of attacks on our universities. Fees have risen again, a voluntary student unionism bill is about to be voted on in parliament, and the government is preparing to put a cap on university funding even though university rolls have been steadily growing. Students are now in $2 billion of debt and are facing a very uncertain future. In some universities such as Otago, entire departments have been axed with wholesale staff redundancies following. 

Despite all this doom and gloom, there has been a substantial fightback in the past few years. University staff have taken unprecedented industrial action over falling pay, conditions, and the deterioration of universities in general. Students have occupied univeristy registries nationwide, held sit-ins, protests, and huge street marches in opposition to the cutbacks. The national student association has planned several weeks of action this year and the direction this action takes is crucial.

The student associations have been pushing the idea of having small, gimmicky stunts, letter-writing campaigns and street theatre involving a select few. They argue that students are now too demoralised or apathetic to get involved in more militant protests and that the change to smaller elitist demos is a necessity. 

The fact is that it is precisely these types of small actions that have put many students off participating in protests, and where there have been large militant protests, the student movement has been reinvigorated. People gain confidence through fighting alongside others and through successful protests, not through street theatre or letter-writing campaigns which offer no hope of real change as they never draw together students, staff and unions in united action which has the power to force through change. This kind of united action is the key to victory as students as an isolated group don't have sufficient power to force a policy reversal. Only a united staff and student union action has the potential to shut down the univeristies which would force the government and university councils to halt the cuts.

But for this to happen students must put pressure on their student associations at Education Action Group meetings and Student General Meetings. If left to themselves the associations will simply initiate more elitist actions which offer no hope of change. Ordinary students must push for large and militant protests involving as many people as possible and for uniting with the unions and staff.

In 1997 the staff union was debating whether to take strike action. Otago students' association members told them they would not receive student support. Students need to stop this rubbish and force the student associations to support staff, not deter them from taking action. A united struggle is the only way forward for tertiary education and 1998 has the potential to be a very successful year for protests, so Get involved and Have your say!