FIGHTING PRIVATISATION - DEFENDING EDUCATION

BELOW IS THE TEXT OF OUR SECOND LEAFLET +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The directorate are in secret negotiations with a private sector company called Navitas (formerly known as IBT Education) to set up an “International College” at MMU. A draft contract has been prepared but the V-C has signed a “confidentiality agreement”, thus he is unable to discuss the contract openly with university staff. An agreement with a private firm will have implications not just for pay and conditions but also the quality of education at MMU.

WHAT DO NAVITAS DO?
1. Navitas is an Australian based company that proudly boasts being the first educational institution listed on the Australian Stock Exchange;
2. They establish international colleges which recruit international students on to diploma courses that once completed “guarantee” entrance onto the second year of the relevant degree programmes;
3. They also have interests/operations in employment agencies, vocational training, English language colleges and the migration advice industry. These operations cover the UK, Canada, Australia and various countries in south east Asia;
4. Their recent interim financial results presentation identifies the UK as a market with opportunities to grow their courses.

COMPETING PRIORITIES
The implication of this is that Navitas have to give greater emphasis to making a profit. All other priorities such as educational standards, student welfare and experience, or a good work environment are filtered through the need make a profit. An example of this is the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) a private college wholly owned by Navitas. A report by the Australian Universities Quality Agency expressed concern that ACAP:
1) Have a small college council (only 3 members) with no independent representation;
2) Lack sufficient resources available for student support;
3) Lack an adequate environment to allow staff to contribute to academic life (many of whom are part-time and / or on temporary contracts);
4) Do not pay equivalent “rewards” to its staff as in the rest of the sector;
5) Lack educational objectives in its strategic planning process and suffer from weak academic leadership.

An international college set-up by Navitas here at MMU will be under the same pressures to make profits and satisfy the stock market expectations. We argue that MMU can provide a better service to our international students by keeping the provision in-house."Keeping Navitas out of MMU is not just about defending pay and conditions for our colleagues. It is also about defending the quality of the education we provide here.