Organise Against Educational Inequality. (1 Viewer)

[Antrophe]

The education minister Dempsey is stepping up plans for an overhaul of third
level education and we can expect an announcement by the end of the month.

With this in mind a hastily pulled together Campaign for Free Education
meeting is being held in Synge Theatre, Hamilton building in Trinity at 7pm
this Weds 21st of May. The meeting is hosted courtesy of Trinity Anarchist
Society and will feature activists from the CFE Group in UCD. .

Ring me (James: 085 7198001) for any further details. If you can not attend
i will forward minutes on to you. Keep tuned to indymedia posting at
http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=49011 for breaking news and
details of meeting.

Last summer the government increased registration fees for students by 69%,
this amounted to nothing more than an introduction of fees through the
backdoor. It now plans to either introduce fees or student loans by
September. Either way, the government plans for free third-level education
to be a thing of the past from next September. This will mean thousands of
students dropping out of college, poverty conditions for those remaining and
thousands of young people being denied access to college. We cannot lie down
and accept this attack on education. We have to be willing and able to take
serious mass action against fees and demand free education for all.

The CFE has been one of the most formidable opponents of fees and cutbacks
in education since the summer. It has organized numerous on-campus
demonstrations in UCD making it a place of hostility to visiting government
figures. The CFE has blockaded the Minister for Education in college
buildings for hours; organized a successful occupations of the N11 motorway,
the Departments of Finance, Education and Transport; carried out a
successful sit- down protest outside Dail Eireann. All this brought
invaluable media and public attention to educational inequality and the
danger of fees.

We believe education is a right and not a privilege. We believe in free and
equal access for all, regardless of socio-economic status, to primary,
secondary and third level education. We recognize that the present education
system does not offer this and call on all students to secure your right to
a free and accessible education of the highest standard. We must shift focus
away from responding to the government's agenda, and force them to respond
to ours, an agenda where educational opportunity is not mitigated by your
economical and social background. Educational inequality is not something
that magically appears in third level but is evident throughout the
education system. The points system illustrates this.

Where students with unequal resources and crap school facilities are pitted
against those who can afford private tuition and attend exam factories on
Leeson Street. Students are forced into a rat race for a limited number of
college places because the government are unwilling to adequately fund the
colleges.

The Campaign for Free Education is a network set up last summer by students
in UCD to fight the reintroduction of fees by getting students involved in
collective mass action against the government. It is now essential that
students, both in secondary and third level form an network to mobilise
opposition against this government. The years of complacency, respectability
and negotiation in the student movement must end, and action must begin.

We need to show the government how serious we are on this issue, through a
campaign to mobilise students and others and involve students in actions
such as blockades, mass occupations, school and college strikes and more,
which directly affect and upset the government

Download A poster advertsing meeting as a PDF:
http://www.geocities.com/antrophe/trinity.pdf

Beyond Protest Towards Resistance: First Year of the CFE:
http://www.educationet.org/z0281.html

CFE Homepage, complete with resources, news, articles, forums and analysis:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~sapdfs/index.htm

 

[the strange guy]

Education may be a right, but there's millions of euro wasted on eejits who want an arts degree to impress the family. This money could be used on hospitals and primary and secondary education all of which are in tatters.

 

[Antrophe]

heard it all before....

...and for those that believe that shite youre saying read about the experience of fees being reintroduced abroad, the connection with globalisation and more at http://www.freeeducation.cjb.net

 

[nooleen]

i thought fees were only going to be reintroduced for students from 'very wealthy' families - is that why the meeting's in trinners..............?

 

[Lili Marlene]

Education may be a right, but there's millions of euro wasted on eejits who want an arts degree to impress the family.

Fuck you.

 

[the strange guy]

Obviously hit a nerve there John, good comeback.

But nooly's right... All these fucking eejit anarchist/socialist Trinity 'stooodents' who believe that the rich should be taxed to pay for the less well off are all of a sudden up in arms over these fees coming in (For the rich to help pay for the poor). The only link that fees has with globalisation is that the cunts that are going to be paying the fees will probably end up working for a multinational conglomerate anyway.

 

[spuded]

mmmmm

alhtouhg i agree that more cahs should be pumped into primary and secondary level education there's no point in thinking that hospitals will all fo a sudden be fixed just because the government has extra cash, at the end of the day it dont work that way, i'd rather see arts students gettin cash than the government wasting another 80,000 ona fuckin desk, spa's.

 

[the strange guy]

Of course the health system won't suddenly be repaired, but the fact is that there is millions of euro being wasted on students who don't want to be in college (and don't turn up). I'm not doubting that the government will spend the money on something ridiculous (like a spare jet in case the new one breaks down). I just find it hilarious that Student Union spastics are willing to handcuff themselves to the Dail and be arrested for protesting against this! Families who earn over 50K a year paying for their children's third level education is not a stupid idea. While war blazed across the middle east, these cunts were probably out getting pissed in the student bar. As soon as their rich parents have to cough up so they can be officially 'over-qualified' for a job in a newsagents, they're whipping out the slogans and chains. Fuck em.

 

[Corm]

So what do you think people should do to fight against things that seem unjust to them then Oly?

 

[Gar]

yeah its a tricky one, going by how well a student is by their parents, hence the lack of autonomy etc...but , as was said, why should rich kids be paid for to impress people with a useless arts degree. philosphers.->..educated stoners.

but there should be moresupport for students too, i do tons of hours each week and i work, but im not too bad off,no major overheads that aren't my own doing... argh.,..my brain is only able to coherently think of sciencey things around these fun exam times.

i heard that a 1978 UCD philosphy final year exam had one question that was simply:

?


(answer was "!")
that ought to impress whoever that philospher is driving in their taxi

 

[ann post]

Looks like something that might keep the asylum folks out of high ranking jobs...

 

[the strange guy]

So what do you think people should do to fight against things that seem unjust to them then Oly?

I'm not saying people SHOULDN'T fight it. I just think that if these people's parents earn that much a year, why should they? It's not a perfect way of doing things, but by keeping fees free for people on the breadline, it's at least a step in the right direction. Third level education shouldn't be something reserved exclusively for people with money. At least this way only people who can afford it will pay. A lot of students would believe strongly that by giving the rich higher taxes, life would be made easier for the less well off. Now they're going apeshit because now their daddy's won't be able to pay fees AND keep giving handouts. Now they might have to *gasp* get a job (or longer hours), seeing as they're household income is already too high for the paltry grant. Don't pretend it's anything other than that, because at the end of the day, you won't have students from poor families protesting at this. This is an exclusive 'rich kid' protest.

 

[no class]

so are less-well off people gettin free education?i didn't quite followwhat was said above...

 

[ElderLemon]

Fees should be reintroduced - I was a Student Union Officer at the time they were abolished and I was very sceptical about claims that abolishing fees was going to make 3rd level education more accessible to lower-income families. 7 years on, Noel Dempsey is right in its analysis that it hasn't.

Pre-empting a rush to judgement (I saw the comment about Student Union spastics!), let me confirm that I had and still have little truck with USI as an institution. Boring worthy-but-dull speeches about "disadvantaged access" (a patronising term in itself) at USI congress each year, but once someone actually threatens to take on the vested interests and deliver some of their beloved "disadvantaged access" USI refuse to consider it. Colm Jordan was on the news tonight complaining about not being consulted. Bollocks. Dempsey is the first education minister to attend USI's congress in many a year.

As for the campaign for free education... they should go and organise their own marches, instead of trying to hijack USI's. Besides being counter-productive, disruptive and potentially dangerous, it's also terribly bad manners...

 

[Chunky D]

I think (and bear in mind i do'nt know cos i aint not no student) that some people from the campaign for free education might feel that the usi shitheads are'nt making a very good job of protesting and would it not make more sense to show a united front?

 

[ElderLemon]

One of the few things USI can do well is protest, because most colleges North and South are affiliated to USI and as a consequence they can get numbers out on the street if the situation is right. What USI haven't been very good at is making coherent, realistic proposals to Government about how Student Financial Support (i.e. both fees and grants) should be reformed.
Another problem is the name USI is actually a misnomer - USI is technically a Union of Student Unions in Ireland, rather than a Union of Students in Ireland. Ordinary students have no say in electing the USI leadership - that is left to Student Union officers -and many feel little attachment to the USI leadership. Finally, USI is continually beset with initially trivial disagreements over personality and policy which almost inevitably boil over into bitter long-term disputes and schisms. These rows (which I liken to sunspot activity, as there's always a massive flare-up every few years) aren't exactly hampered by the heady combination of alcohol, testosterone and over-inflated egos that constitutes a USI National Council meeting.

As for the CFE - if they don't agree with USI, fine, that's their choice, but they should go and organise their own protests rather than try and hijack USI's. Despite what I've said above, USI is the only third-level student representative body recognised by the government, and they do have a mandate. What they need to do is come up with some proper proposals instead of whinging....

 

[the strange guy]

so are less-well off people gettin free education?i didn't quite followwhat was said above...

They're not paying thousands of euro straight to the college if that's what you mean.

It's a shame the fees have been abolished. It's nice to see everyone's true colours when it comes to taxing rich families. Punk as fuck lads.

 

[Antrophe]

As for the campaign for free education... they should go and organise their own marches, instead of trying to hijack USI's. Besides being counter-productive, disruptive and potentially dangerous, it's also terribly bad manners...'

This one of those trite accusations we face all the time, the accusation of hijacking a movement, sounds quite like those sprung at the 'virtual warriors' of GNAW. Considering that CFE were ironically the only force mobilising for USI demos in UCD, it's all abit rich, as for fighting and winning the USI disaffiliation referendum and having to put up with that shower of USI goons in the process?

As for direct action at mass demonstrations, CFE's feelings on the spectacle of USI demos and the need for mass participatory campaigns of direct action is made clear in the leaflett at
http://irishcfe.board.dk3.com/viewtopic.php?topic=45&forum=1&0

It's funny who calls for United Fronts, the CFE call for one in terms of direct action and 300 students sit down at the dail, USI washes its hands of the affair, distances itself from it in the media. All the while, CFE supports USI in a referendum. CFE activists support and take part vin ALL USI occuaptions, as crisis heightened last week USI President is writing letters to Garda commisoners saying he has no responsiblity for the actions of students? An attempt to monopolise resistance by making it appear as if it is turned on and off like a tap by USI's threats. Always ask youself from who the calls for unity are coming and whose interests they serve. There's very little use answering a unity call whne its on the basis of beating fees through an avalanche of letters directed at the dail, that aint going to work, we are then forced to act autonomously and build our own campaign with a different strategy and focus, similar to GNAW taking the fence when IAWM refused.

The thing is that there is severe philosophical differences on the basis of and character of the student movement. We offer critical support to USI and seek to build a grass roots student movement, which can reclaim the structures of the student unions. Like all rank and file iniatives; we recognise that we have two enemies and must fight on two fronts

1) against the bureacratic leaderships of the unions, against whom we mobilise and contrast our own ideas and strategy.
2) Against the state, whom we mobilise ideological support and direct action.

Lets deal with facts emerging from reality here, as opposed to slogans cut and pasted from some piece of USI apologia. The reality of the situation is that where unions are affiliated to USI, the college administration collects dues from the membership on their behalf, with but the consent of students. Students are automatically registered and conscripted as members of USI, regardless of whether or not they see it as body which advances their sectional interests or seek to be partake in it. So if I wanted to set up an alternative union to the present established student union in UCD tomorrow, unfortunately, Id still be funding USI unwittingly, through no actions of my own. USI is not an independent body, it is compromised, dependent upon the co-operation of the state through college administrations for its very existence. This is all kind of funny, when you consider it's close co-operation with the police at all demos, willingly penning students away from the Dail, and then using the truck used to ghem us in to mouth off from whne giving speeches? It is propped up by the very institutions it should be confronting and throwing itself against before Irish education is pushed in an ever more socially exclusive position. The nature of the USI demo is a spectacle in it self, a process of containment rather than action, there's an old french marxist who sees 'student unions as the occupation of the student body by the college authorities' given USI's record, i can see his point.

Even persisting in claiming USI is one of the biggest representative organisations in Ireland highlights an obvious problem. I can represent Irish students quite well by drawing a picture of them, I can repeat their problems till my throat aches, but whether or not I have a nice crayon drawing of fees or a tape recording of their desires, the political problems they face still remain. One of the contradictions wrought in USI, is that they see their role solely as representing opinion as opposed to mobilising their membership in a direction that can stop attacks upon them by the government. I argue quite simply, for mobilisation, for collective mass action, not representations of my problems in the media.

The successes of unions are based on their membership, and their active membership at that in my opinion. Due to the manner in which students become affiliated to the organisation, he only way we can presently USIs active membership is, is through participation rates in local student union elections. And as we all know, local elections are by no means shining examples of the democratic process, with officers being elected with a mandate that would even make George W. Bush blush and reconsider just who he is representing. In UCD, the figures for those exercising their vote hovers around 3,000 a little bit higher this year. If we apply this across the board, we can quickly come to the conclusion that your house of cards of 240, 000 quickly comes tumbling down around your head. This is a fact that can not be changed through ever further attempts to appear 'media sexy' derived from what ever results your last focus group survey reached. If anything, this epitomises the isolation of the current leadership from the base of the student body.

More on the student movement from a CFE'ers perspective can be read at http://www.educationet.org/z0281.html
Theres a more concise brief anarchist (platformist) position at http://www.struggle.ws/ppapers/student.html

 

[ElderLemon]

Well, in fairness, that's a well-constructed argument, even if I don't particularly agree with it. Given that, as I have stated above, I was never a great fan of USI, the best I can really do is act as devil's advocate on some key points :

This one of those trite accusations we face all the time, the accusation of hijacking a movement, sounds quite like those sprung at the 'virtual warriors' of GNAW. Considering that CFE were ironically the only force mobilising for USI demos in UCD, it's all abit rich, as for fighting and winning the USI disaffiliation referendum and having to put up with that shower of USI goons in the process?

Whatever about the internal politics of UCD, if you want to go and protest outside the Dail - fine. If you want go and protest outside the Dail at another organisation's protest, you do it on their terms.

CFE activists support and take part vin ALL USI occuaptions, as crisis heightened last week USI President is writing letters to Garda commisoners saying he has no responsiblity for the actions of students? An attempt to monopolise resistance by making it appear as if it is turned on and off like a tap by USI's threats.

This is true. That was a remarkably stupid thing to do, as the world and his mother knows that USI is a bit of a toothless tiger. That letter in my opinion backfired badly as it amounted to little more than an abdication of responsibility...

We offer critical support to USI and seek to build a grass roots student movement, which can reclaim the structures of the student unions.

<Bad Joke coming...> Is 'Reclaim The Structures' any relation to 'Reclaim The Streets'?

We offer critical support to USI and seek to build a grass roots student movement, which can reclaim the structures of the student unions. Like all rank and file iniatives; we recognise that we have two enemies and must fight on two fronts

1) against the bureacratic leaderships of the unions, against whom we mobilise and contrast our own ideas and strategy.[/b]

How you claim to offer critical support to USI whilst simultaneously identifying the Unions which make up USI as the enemy?

The situation is actually reasonably simple - USI as a body can't reasonably expect to draw great loyalty and respect from students, as <a> its officer board isn't directly elected by students, and <b> the very nature of those officers' work means that they appear distant to the students they purportedly represent. It is up to local Student Unions to make the connection with their members - some are more successful than others. USI is in many analogous to ICTU, and should have a similar role in terms of formulating common policies with the agreement of the otherwise autonomous local Student Unions.

All I can say is that when I was an SU President I ensured I got democratic backing for every significant decision I took from class rep council after informing them of the reasons I wanted to take the decision. Unfortunately, some other Presidents both in my college and in other colleges both before me and since have had a rather less positive view of the role of student democracy. Whether this is the case in UCD or not this year, I simply don't know and therefore can't comment....

BTW, is that James Redmond one of the Redmonds from near Killanne?

 

[ElderLemon]

Students are automatically registered and conscripted as members of USI, regardless of whether or not they see it as body which advances their sectional interests or seek to be partake in it. So if I wanted to set up an alternative union to the present established student union in UCD tomorrow, unfortunately, Id still be funding USI unwittingly, through no actions of my own.

Conscripted is a bit harsh! Okay, it depends on the Union , but I presume in most Student Unions there is a constitutional mechanism whereby a referendum can be held about affikliation/disaffiliation from USI? Why would want to set up an alternative Union - where precisely for instance would you find premises, office staff and equipment never mind recognition from college, staff and students - I would thought it would be far easier to simply win election to the existing union....