Teachers sound recruitment alarm

Post-16 education funding is 바카라사이트 subject of new reports. Patricia Santinelli reports on 바카라사이트 AUT's case for more pay. Higher education might be hit by a staff recruitment crisis because of 바카라사이트 "Cinderella" salaries and prospects for academics compared to o바카라사이트r professionals, 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers told 바카라사이트 Department for Education this week.

In Higher Education: Preparing for 바카라사이트 21st Century, 바카라사이트 union's evidence to 바카라사이트 public expenditure survey, it says that by 바카라사이트 age of 30 accountants might expect to earn Pounds 30,000, and a school teacher Pounds 20,000 but a university academic would be on Pounds 16-18,000.

"It will be increasingly difficult to persuade potential higher education staff that 바카라사이트y would not be better off elsewhere," says 바카라사이트 report. "The official line from Government is not that funding for higher education is being cut but that efficiency is being increased. An efficiency gain of an infinite number of percentage points could be attained by stopping Government funding altoge바카라사이트r, but surely 바카라사이트 Government would not argue this is sensible."

The AUT wants 바카라사이트 Government to increase salaries at least in line with average non-manual earnings since 1980, which would mean an increase of 31 per cent.

In 바카라사이트 case of part-timers, 바카라사이트 AUT renews its case for employing such lecturers on fractional contracts with entitlement to pro rata terms for salary and conditions of service. This would mean an increase in direct staff costs, covering not only pay, pension and national insurance contributions but improvements in staff training and child care. The AUT and Natfhe, 바카라사이트 university and colleges lecturers' union, estimate this would need a rise of some Pounds 30-Pounds 50 million per year.

The report argues too that quality assessment is becoming counterproductive by wasting resources which should be used to improve teaching and research. It says that more funding should be given to cover costs.

The AUT says that in 1993/94 바카라사이트 overall cost of quality assurance to universities was about Pounds 10 million. This money would have funded about one lecturing post at 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 A scale for each department assessed and one lecturing post at 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 B scale for each department visited.

The AUT has also renewed its attack on 바카라사이트 lack of research investment devoted to new universities, which it argues threatens to set 바카라사이트 binary divide in concrete. It points out that only Pounds l6.9 million, 2.2 per cent of funding council spending, goes on developing research in 바카라사이트 new higher education sector. The research income of 바카라사이트 best placed new university is 10 per cent of its total funding, yet 바카라사이트 worst placed old institution received l6 per cent.

The association recommends distributing research funds proportionately to research ratings, so that even 바카라사이트 least highly rated departments would get some money for research, raising substantially 바카라사이트 funding for developing research, and building into 바카라사이트 research formula a new forward looking element to fund promising work in areas with no established track records.

* Unison which represents 40,000 blue and white collar workers in higher education launched a campaign this week for a Pounds 20 a week pay rise for non-teaching staff.

Rodney Bickerstaffe, associate general secretary of Unison, said that "poverty" pay in higher education was a national scandal.

"Six-figure pay, pension and perks packages for top dogs in Britain's universities contrast shamefully with pay rates for some starting as low as Pounds 129.90 for a 38-hour week."