Lecturers' Dispute Brings Nationwide Disruption

Tue, May 16, 2006

Source: Guardian

Thousands of students could be unable to graduate this summer as a result of a nationwide lecturers' boycott of exams.

Thousands of students could be unable to graduate this summer as a result of a nationwide lecturers' boycott of exams, marking and assessment, according to findings from a new survey of British universities by EducationGuardian, published today.

The survey, based on responses from a total of 63 institutions in England, Wales and Scotland, reveals widespread disruption to final degree and other exams across the country, with many institutions forced to draw up contingency plans "on the hoof".

The exam season is now well underway, but employers and lecturers' unions have failed to resolve a long-running pay dispute. The unions are demanding a 23% pay rise over three years, claiming they have been underpaid for 20 years.

Some universities, including Birmingham, Bradford and Northumbria, have even threatened to dock the pay of lecturers refusing to take part in the exam and assessment process. On Friday, lecturers at Northumbria University voted to walk off the job indefinitely in protest against the university's plans to dock their full pay during the boycott.

The survey shows little or no disruption in a handful of universities, such as Oxford and Imperial College, where there is minimal union membership among academic staff. But elsewhere the picture is much more complicated, with many universities expecting the greatest disruption to take place in subjects where academic staff tend to be the most unionised, such as history, sociology and education.

The biggest impact of the industrial action - felt by virtually all universities - could be to leave many students with no idea of what grades they have achieved or, in some cases, whether they have even graduated. At many universities, coursework has remained unmarked since March, so students will have no clear picture of what marks they need to gain in their exams to reach the required grade. Many degree ceremonies planned for next month are likely to be used to celebrate students' achievement, rather than to officially confer degrees.

Yesterday, Rebecca Corn, president of the students' union at Aberystwyth, University of Wales, said she had resigned in protest over the failure to resolve the dispute, as more than 20 exams were due to be cancelled at the university this week, including professional law papers. She said it was "absolutely scandalous" that students, "who bear absolutely no responsibility in this dispute, are having to face the results of reckless political posturing and broken governmental promises".

www.guardian.co.uk