University staff say sector needs more government funding
A poll of over 2,200 university staff conducted in February found that an overwhelming majority of staff surveyed consider that inadequate government funding is the most significant reason why universities are under financial pressure.
Fifty-nine per cent of those polled said that a significant increase in government funding is necessary to address the current problems.
The survey, which included both union members and staff who are not members, was done as part of the lead-up to the Union’s University Funding campaign. It showed a high level of awareness amongst university staff about the issues facing the higher education sector.
While 75% of those surveyed considered that declining international student enrolments have contributed to the financial pressure on universities, only 2% think that international student enrolments should be lifted to relieve some of that pressure.
Major issues of concern about their employment included workloads, where half those surveyed said that their workloads were too high; and 63% of respondents are concerned about increasing casualisation and the use of fixed-term contracts as undermining their job security.
A summary of the survey results can be downloaded below.
Click here to read the article in The Australian Higher Education Supplement on the survey results.
(267 KB) - PDF
Comments
There are no comments. Be the first to have your say!