Education motions

Motions allocated to section 5 of the NEC's report to Congress (UCU/2040).

Section 5: Business of the education committee

46  Building a positive vision for post-school education - National executive committee

Congress notes the recent work of this committee on:

1. access to all types of post compulsory education
2. student funding
3. attacks on the curriculum and freedom of speech
4. the professional needs of staff.

It urges the committee to continue and develop work which will:

1. defend and enhance access to post compulsory education including protecting BTEC, and a good post-compulsory admission system for HE:
2. promote reform of student funding and challenge government attacks on that funding
3. resist attacks on arts programmes in all sectors which deny students the chance to develop their skills and employability
4. oppose attempts to restrict staff and student freedoms to teach and learn using dishonest and repressive ideas of academic freedom
5. build up support for staff facing professional disadvantages and discrimination
6. develop our commitment to education and climate change
7. continue our successful Cradle to Grave events.

Remitted (not taken)

47  Funding and quality of teaching training and education - National executive committee

Congress notes:

1. the valuable work done by UCU to keep teacher training in the spotlight
2. the current Government attempts to 'drive up standards for initial teacher training' by reforms that we believe will narrow student choice
3. the recommendations derived from the DfE consultation on ITT were not all accepted fully by the Government and one not at all

Congress Resolves:

1. to reassert our belief that these ITT reforms will narrow student choice
2. to reassert our demands that teacher training be properly and fully funded
3. to ask NEC to consider the implications of the DfE Dec 2021 report and February 2022 National Professional Qualifications [NPQs] reforms and issue UCU guidance for members applying to register for NPQs
4. to press for full funding to provide high-quality mentoring, sufficient high-quality placements and provide strong evidence that consistency is maintained.

Remitted (not taken)

48  Artificial Intelligence (AI) and datafication - The Manchester College

Congress notes:

1. increased technology use in post-16 education during the pandemic, and therefore in the amount of data our employers hold on members
2. data Protection Impact Assessments should be carried out when implementing new systems using workers' personal data, but unions are not consulted about them
3. the TUC working group on AI, which produced the Reps' Guide on AI.

Congress believes AI can be useful but mustn't infringe on workers' rights or discriminate against individuals and must be fully accessible and user friendly.

Congress resolves to:

1. set up an expert group on AI and datafication bringing together UCU members in the field to identify threats and opportunities and make recommendations on UCU AI policy
2. include an element in the national claims on agreeing an ethical AI policy with employers which establishes a consistent approach across the sectors
3. establish the role of a Data Rep in each branch.

Remitted (not taken)

49  Campaign for democratic governance - West Midlands regional committee

1. HE/FE across the UK suffers from a generalised crisis of governance, with structures increasingly hierarchical and unaccountable
2. existing, nominally democratic governance structures (e.g. Senates; Boards of Governors) have been progressively hollowed out, and are either incapable of holding management to account or have stopped representing best interests of staff and students.

Congress resolves:

1. to campaign for democratic governance with publicity and social media
2. to aim for reinstatement of functional senates/equivalents, including representatives of staff and students, across all our institutions, making VCs/Principals democratically elected by these representatives
3. Following consultation, UCU to campaign to make roles such as Deans and Heads of Departments elective, as in other countries
4. where possible, to coordinate campaigning with other Unions and NUS to maximise unity and organisational efficiency.

If demands for democratic governance are not met, UCU will ballot for industrial action up to and including strike action.

Remitted (not taken)

50  Use of external consultants during organisational change - Solent University

Congress notes:

1. the widespread reliance by managers in further and higher education on firms of external management consultants in developing restructure plans
2. these firms regularly recommend the same banner headings like "Future Ready", "Ways of Working ", and "Fewer, Bigger, Better"
3. universities use these recommendations in S188 processes as a pretext for compulsory redundancies, and enforced voluntary severances
4. there is urgent need to make widespread and investigate the recommendations of these reports to examine whether consulting firms made similar recommendations.

Congress agrees:

1. UCU will create a confidential database of these reports which are being used in restructure initiatives, and S188 consultation processes
2. UCU will investigate the impact, and efficacy, of the recommendations in these reports, and produce a full report for Congress 2023, and
3. the investigation will direct particular scrutiny to the similarity of recommendations made by consulting firms and examine if reports are being duplicated without adequate relevance to the specific university or institution.

Remitted (not taken)

50A.1 North West regional committee

Add new 'notes' 2, change numbering accordingly thereafter:

2. the involvement of groups/individuals with anti-LGBT+ agendas amongst consultancies used in post-16 education and high-profile disaffiliations from Stonewall, e.g. at UCL.

Add new 'resolves' b, change lettering accordingly thereafter:

2. to monitor and expose the use of consultancies with links to groups/individuals who promote anti-LGBT+ ideologies.

51  Post-16 education at the crossroads - London regional committee

Congress

Notes:

1. the biggest cut in household earnings for over 50 years
2. inflation has risen to a level not seen for a generation
3. the increase in workload, casualisation, managerialism and cut in wages in real terms across the sectors
4. the strikes involving UCU members in both sectors.

Believes:

1. the market and competition are the drivers of the increase in workload, casualisation, managerialism and cuts in wages
2. the professional autonomy of those who work in the sectors is under attack
3. the determination of our members to fight to defend post 16 education is an inspiration to the whole trade union movement.

Resolves:

1. to approach other education unions to hold a conference around the theme of 'Dignity at work - we demand professional respect'
2. to produce a regular 'Solidarity' webpage to allow those on strike to gain support from across the movement.

Remitted (not taken)