Unis plead with Pyne on student services fee
Two of South Australia’s universities have expressed concern about the possibility of the Coalition abolishing compulsory student service fees.
Several news outlets have reported new Education Minister Christopher Pyne plans to scrap the up-to-$250 fee universities collect from students to pay for student services such as entertainment and sport.
Pyne yesterday told the ABC in Adelaide that while the Liberal Party didn’t support the fee, its removal was “not a priority”.
Flinders University and the University of South Australia both strongly defended the fee, which was introduced by the former Labor Government in 2011.
“With regard to the Student Services and Amenities Fee, I’d be concerned if this very valuable contribution (one that is strongly supported by students) was to be viewed through ideological eyes,” Flinders University Vice-Chancellor professor Michael Barber said in a statement issued this morning.
The comments were echoed in a statement issued by the University of SA.
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“The university is most concerned about possible proposals to reduce expenditure on student services.
“What is not clear from current reports is whether the new government is concerned about universities providing student amenities generally or whether it is the current range of activities that concerns them – if it is the latter then options always exist for more specifically directing that funding.
“But reduction in funding at this time, on top of the previously announced cuts and reduction in research funding is of concern, and can only impact on the capacity of the sector to provide a quality student experience and generate the levels of productivity and economic growth that higher education provides the nation.”
Pyne told the ABC yesterday he didn’t support the fee.
“We opposed the student amenities fee,” he said.
“Is it a priority for the Government? No it’s not a priority, but we still remain opposed to the student amenities fee.”
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Asked directly whether he planned to abolish the fee, he answered: “well, it’s not a priority”.
The Education Minister’s comments on university course quality drew a mixed reception.
“There are quality issues about the extraordinary number of students being enrolled,” Pyne told the ABC yesterday.
“You can go to any university in South Australia and they will tell you that they want this matter reviewed.
“We will put quality in tertiary education as our number one priority, and that means that we need to review the demand driven system of university places because there is some evidence… that quality is suffering to achieve quantity.
“There are a lot of people who believe that lifting the cap had an impact on bringing more people into universities and that that may have led to a reduction in quality.”
The University of South Australia’s management had already made its ambivalence to university place caps publicly known, the spokesperson for the university said.
“[The] University of South Australia doesn’t have an issue with caps … we manage our own quotas and quality control on entry within that cohort quite successfully – it doesn’t generate worry.”
Flinders University’s Barber said growth in student numbers in recent years hadn’t impacted on course quality.
“Student numbers at Flinders University have grown in recent years, but with a weighted ATAR (entrance rank) that has actually increased, and we are confident that our selection processes and pathways are enabling more students to access Flinders with a considerable probability of success,” Barber said.
“Flinders stands ready to work with [Pyne] on programs and policies that ensure that all Australians who wish to attend university can do so, and in doing so receive a quality education and enjoy a vibrant and stimulating student experience both in and out of the formal classroom.”
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