Students stand with staff at Unitec

The decision late last year to reduce the number of teaching staff in the Design and Visual Arts Department has been met with student protest and general concern.

Image: Silena Griffin from http://teu.ac.nz/2013/12/unitec-train-wreck/

50 jobs were disestablished and 17 new managerial type positions were offered with an expectation that it will be mandatory for each of these roles to bring in between $20,000 and 30,000 per annum (17 x $20,000 = $340,000, 17 x $30,000 = $510,000).  The staffing cuts made in December see the teaching team reduced from 53 staff to 17.6 full time positions of which 13.2 full time equivalent jobs were offered to existing staff.

Although the move has been said to cater towards industry requirements, the loss of a ‘wealth of knowledge’ by the staffing cuts has not gone unnoticed by the students who pay between $6000 and $7000 per year to study full time. There are approximately 600 full or part time students studying in the department.

Unitec has also indicated that student work and internships are being viewed as potential money making propositions.

Figures and information in this article refer to articles posted on The New Zealand Herald website and Scoop.