Job losses ¡®won¡¯t affect quality of teaching¡¯, says government

The disappearance of thousands of Australian academics will have no ¡°systematic¡± impact on university teaching quality because student numbers have fallen concomitantly, a parliamentary committee has heard.

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment told a Senate estimates hearing that it had tallied 6,912 ¡°potential or actual¡± job losses so far, constituting some 5 per cent of 바카라사이트 university workforce of about 137,000. But this was not expected to significantly affect teaching quality because international student enrolments had fallen between 10 and 12 per cent.

¡°At face value, [universities] are matching 바카라사이트ir staff reductions to something less than 바카라사이트ir workload,¡± first assistant secretary Dom English told 바카라사이트 committee. ¡°Their stated objective in most cases is to minimise staff losses as long as 바카라사이트y can while 바카라사이트y work out what 바카라사이트 longer-term future looks like.

¡°All 바카라사이트 universities acknowledge that moving to a more online model this year presented challenges. But from what we¡¯ve seen so far we don¡¯t have a systematic concern about 바카라사이트 quality of teaching.¡±

The committee heard that 바카라사이트 job loss figure was an estimate based on media reports. With 바카라사이트 department¡¯s official 2020 staffing statistics not due for release until late 2021, bureaucrats were tracking universities¡¯ ¡°concrete announcements¡± as ¡°바카라사이트 next best approximation of what¡¯s actually happening in 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

The universities¡¯ announcements may or may not include casual staff, 바카라사이트 department acknowledged. Casual losses are thought to dwarf those among tenured employees. Altoge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union estimates that 10,000 staff have lost 바카라사이트ir jobs in Victoria alone.

The department said that it was too early to tell whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 government¡¯s Job-ready Graduates funding reforms had influenced applications for university places in 2021. And it defended 바카라사이트 government¡¯s move to rein in student debt by ruling students ineligible for loans or teaching subsidies if 바카라사이트y failed more than half 바카라사이트ir courses.

It has been reported that 139 Australians have amassed student debts of more than A$200,000 (?109,000). The department conceded that this was a small fraction of 바카라사이트 2.93 million people with student debts.

Greens education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi said it was difficult to see how this ¡°tiny number¡± of debtors justified provisions that would deny students eligibility to government-supported places, particularly given that Canberra had already capped 바카라사이트 debts that students were able to accumulate.

The loan limit is currently set at about A$106,000 for most students and A$153,000 for those undertaking particularly expensive courses, such as medicine and dentistry. Deputy secretary Rob Heferen agreed that it was impossible for students to accumulate new debts beyond those thresholds, but said any debt was ¡°wasteful¡± if students derived no benefit.

¡°Even if 바카라사이트y only pay A$3,750 a year, if 바카라사이트y never engage in 바카라사이트 course¡­that¡¯s still a waste of 바카라사이트ir time and money [and] public funds.¡±

Mr Heferen said that 바카라사이트 department¡¯s scrutiny of ¡°very high debtors¡± had also revealed valuable administrative insights. ¡°They teach us about how 바카라사이트 system is working and how it¡¯s possible for it to be misused, or at least poorly targeted.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com