DES ABEND NEWS

Over 150 different universities will take part in strikes over pay, working conditions and pensions in what has been coined as the ‘biggest ever’ strike. Credit: UCU. By: Derry Salter. 70,000 members of staff across universities in the UK plan to undertake industrial action on 24, 25 and 30 November. The University and College Union have said over 2.5 million students will be affected by these strikes which could even “escalate in the new year alongside a marking and assessment boycott.” Students are set to face cancelled lectures and those who do attempt to attend university will have to cross picket lines. However, the union have offered their employers a way to stop all of this: “Disruption can be avoided if employers act fast and make improved offers.” Action begins on 24 November, but a lot of staff plan to take action the day before by refusing to cover for any absent colleagues. UCU demand a pay rise because of the cost-of-living crisis and a cut in pensions, which the...

Teachers in Wales are undertaking anti-racism training in the 'biggest reform to Welsh education in decades' as shocking figures show lack of diversity.    Credit: Wales Online. By: Derry Salter. Across schools in Wales, only 35 teachers are Black. 25,915 are White. Education Minister Jeremy Miles has recognised that more needs to be done to bridge this gap. Now, Wales is set to become the first UK nation to make the history of Britain’s colonial past mandatory in school. Learning about ethnic minorities histories and experiences is now mandatory and the new curriculum, based on six areas of learning and experience, will enforce this. However, the curriculum does not wholly set out what schools should be teaching, but it is a great step towards recognising colonial oppression. The legacy of Betty Campbell, Wales’ first Black head teacher, carries on fifty years later through her granddaughter Rachel Clarke. Rachel said her grandmother would be happy with the change, ...

* This article deals with topics of suicide which may be triggering to some readers* Last week, Universities UK announced new “information sharing” guidance for universities concerning suicidal students following pressure from petitions. Credit: Getty Images. By: Derry Salter. New guidance from Universities UK (UUK), a group representing 140 universities, provided update to universities last week informing them to contact key family members or friends if they have serious concerns about a student’s mental health. This step even recommends universities contact these people even without the student’s permission in a bid to lower suicide rates. Most universities see students register “trusted contacts” at the beginning of the year, which can be contacted if the student is in danger or it is an emergency, even without the student’s consent.   UUK reiterated that staff “should make every reasonable effort to secure consent”, but also recognised that “there are some circumstances...

Since the COVID pandemic began, over 93,000 pupils have vanished from the school register. These so-called “ghost children” were investigated last month after going under the radar for nearly two years. The cost-of-living crisis will only make this worse. Credit: Schools Week. By:  Derry Salter. Over 1,000 schools in disadvantaged areas have an entire class of children missing; with the academic year only one month in, the number is predicted to rise. School Standards Minister Will Quince admitted that work needs to be done in order to get children back in school. Children missing school is not being treated as a priority however, but more as a money-making scheme. Fines for missing school begin at £60, but can rise if they are not paid on time – something many disadvantaged families cannot do, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. Last year, more than 100,000 children missed over half of the autumn term. With the economy crippling, children from disadvantaged areas are ...

A suicide bomber in Kabul killed at least 35 people at a tuition centre on Friday 30 September. Over 113 have been left wounded, with a majority of those targeted in the attack being female students.   Credit: Voa News. By: Derry Salter. The attack occured at the Kaaj Education Centre in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Many students were there sitting a practice exam when the suicide bomber struck.   The attacker entered the building after shooting at guards outside the centre, before entering a classroom and detonating the bomb. A wounded student claimed that the classroom was full of over 600 people.   Family members searched for their loved ones for hours through the damaged classrooms and rubble, with many also desperately searching nearby hospitals.   No terror group has claimed the attack yet, though it is suspected to be caused by Islamic State (IS) militants. The IS have frequently targeted Hazaras, a minority group, in t...