Job cuts threaten teaching quality

Record numbers of universities across the country are facing mass job cuts in response to proposed public spending cuts by the government.

The reputations of some of Britain’s top universities are at risk, and many university bosses, such as Christopher Snowden of Surrey, fear universities will have to make reductions in terms of both size and investment, with the worse case scenario being merging with other institutions.

According to the University and College Union (UCU), an estimated 5,000 university employees including academics, lecturers and teaching staff, have their livelihoods at risk, with 1,300 staff already having been made redundant. The UCU expect teaching could be affected for up to 90,000 students by cuts being proposed in an attempt to secure university finances in light of the government’s £180 million reduction in the last budget.

It is believed the situation has spiralled extensively this academic year, with universities seeking to reduce academic courses on offer, staff hours, and contact time with students, all in order to save institutions from falling into further debt.

Birmingham University is facing the closure of its sociology department for the second time, only five years after it was re-opened.

The president of the National Union of Students (NUS) said, “Universities must avoid making staff cuts that might affect teaching standards. If a student believes their education has been adversely affected by cost-cutting, the NUS encourages them to make full use of their university’s complaints procedures and to contact their student union.”

Although most Warwick students have yet to feel the same anxiety and fear of other students across the country, Warwick is far from immune to the funding cuts. Warwick’s Vice Chancellor Nigel Thrift has alerted staff that £12 million worth of cuts are essential, urging academic departments to decrease spending by a further 5%, and stating that a number of redundancies will have to be made. Biological Sciences and Warwick’s Horticultural Research Institute are examples of victims of these cuts, with estimates of up to 120 staff expected to be made redundant this year.

In a speech earlier this year, Thrift spoke of the necessity of cuts and redundancies. “The result is clear. British universities will have to retrench, and sometimes quite severely, if they are to survive.”