Free Trade Push to Fund Foreign Universities
7 November 2001
The Commonwealth Government is seeking to provide government funding to private overseas universities, as part of a broad free trade agenda.
Peak bodies representing colleges and universities in Canada, Europe and the United States have called for higher education to be excluded from the next round of GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) negotiations. Our Government has taken the opposite stance.
NTEU National President, Dr Carolyn Allport, revealed that the Commonwealth wrote to all States and Territories, seeking approval to include higher education in the next round of GATS negotiations.
“We know from state governments, that the Commonwealth has pushed a strong free trade position on higher education, knowing that this would mean that any new foreign provider would be able to get government subsidies for teaching, research and in the form of HECS places.
This is why the Government has publicly announced support for inclusion of local private providers in the Higher Education Funding Act.”
“This suggestion is at odds with that taken by the peak higher education bodies in Europe, the United States and Canada, who have said that no further commitments concerning higher education should be made under the GATS process. It is also at odds with the position of the union, and others concerned with the quality of Australian higher education.” Dr Allport said.
“In the context of the Coalition having promised no new funds for higher education, our universities would be forced to compete with private providers, domestic and foreign, for students and funding. This is a poor policy driven more by ideology than recognition of Australia’s education needs.”
“What would this mean for Australian developed curriculum? How would university teaching and research be able to address local needs? What commitment would new providers have to ensure that disadvantaged students such as those from rural areas get access to quality university education? These questions need very good answers.”
Dr Allport said that all political parties needed to protect the higher education sector so that it can contribute to economic and social development, especially in regions.