National Gallery occupied 9/12/10

 

 

 

Nearly every museum and art school seems to be in occupation these days.  

This time it's the National Gallery's turn.  

 

Comments

[H Niyazi]

Whilst it makes for a dramatic headline, I hope these occupations are achieving something more than just a PR stunt. Such stunts rarely translate into practical action - unless they are fueled by a broad public outrage - which is not the case here.

Has any furher dialogue been opened up between the government and the higher education sector as a result? That would make it worthwhile - Othewrise, if I were a humanities student in that climate - I'd rather go and enrol in one of those fascinating looking multidisciplinary/digital humanities courses that seem to popping up! :)

The future is will be shaped by hard work by innovative types willing to adapt to the new set of circumstances.

H

[Art History Today]

Hi H.

These occupations do highlight the threat to our cultural institutions, but I think that they won't cut much ice with the public because they are too polite and academic. I think they serve purposes- 1) translate the threat to culture into a media event, hopefully to raise consciousness about the government's reforms 2) provide a space for discussion about strategy in a highly symbolic location.

The Torys and the DimLibs aren't listening to academia at all. On the TV yesterday I saw a rebel Tory get up and say he had a letter condemning the tuition charges from "25 leading academics", which was just ignored.

When these measures become legislation, most people won't be able to afford to go on these multidisciplinary courses, or indeed many other humanities courses. There'll be an 80% cut in teaching that the students themselves will be expected to cover in their tuition fees.

[H Niyazi]

With regards to fees, does the UK have some subsidy or loan system for students that cannot afford to pay up front?

I only finished paying of my degree a couple of years ago - and I've been working for 11 years! I most definitely would not have been able to afford an up front fees only course, but there were other options. Surely the UK has something similar??

H

[Art History Today]

There used to be grants, but they were abolished in 1997 and loans were introduced with re-payment plans for all but the very poorest. There are bursaries too, at institutional discretion. I got my fees paid when at uni, though I supported myself by working.

What's being proposed now is a loan system where you won't have to pay until you're earning £21,000, and it is cancelled if you don't meet that in 30 years.

The problem is you have to add living expenses ontop of that; and there's also the interest that will accrue for those who don't get good jobs quickly. And if you have debts of about £50,000 hanging over you, you won't be able to get any help from banks, lending etc

It's a real mess the Tories and FibDems are introducing. And it's being introduced to make students pay for that needless 80% cut to the teaching grant.

[H Niyazi]

That systems sounds like what we have here - but I'm not sure about the interest - I don't think there was any in my day, though that may have changed by now.

In my case the govt used to take a sizeable slice out of my tax return every year until it was all paid off - otherwise I quite simply never would have been able to go to university.

From a financial perspective at least - it sounds like the model which previously existed was not a sustainable one. Most of the older politicians that went to university here actually did so without tuition fees - it was entirely subsidised! It was only in my generation that things changed - and I dare say things have changed even further in the last 10 years.

It is one of the perennial problems of a growing population, shrinking labour force coupled with technological advances. These problems have global repercussions - the plight of the humanities is a local ripple in that specific part of the pond.

I definitely do not envy financial policy makers - whatever option they pick is bound to make *someone* upset. There's never a win-win!

H

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National Gallery occupied 9/12/10 - Art History Today

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National Gallery occupied 9/12/10 - Art History Today

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National Gallery occupied 9/12/10 - Art History Today

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National Gallery occupied 9/12/10 - Art History Today