RMIT students call for course fees to be cut by 20 per cent
Students at RMIT University have called for course fees to be slashed by 20 per cent with the student union claiming there are plenty of reasons why they should be listened to.
Education
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RMIT University students are calling for a 20 per cent cut in course fees because of the impact of remote learning, less access to practical tuition and student hardship caused by the global pandemic.
In a letter to vice-chancellor Martin Bean, the student union says some people are even considering switching courses or institutions to find something more affordable.
RMIT Student Union president Daniel Hoogstra said something had to be done to deal with the destructive impact coronavirus was having on students’ learning amid turmoil in the sector.
“Practical components are much harder to complete,’’ Mr Hoogstra said.
A union survey of 2000 students found the main cause of concern during the pandemic was fee relief, he said.
International students are struggling to meet fee payments as well as meet basic living costs because they have lost casual work and don't qualify for JobKeeper.
An RMIT spokeswoman said it had improved the university’s digital capabilities and expertise to help with remote learning and teaching.
“To support this transition, we have reallocated resources to develop online learning guidelines, conduct quality assessments, invest in our people through professional development and upgrade our systems with new learning technologies,’’ the spokeswoman said.
A $15 million investment is also boosting financial hardship support and technology grants, she said.
Students were also concerned that staff shortages was also affecting their studies.
Tertiary union the NTEU has said many casual contracts were not being renewed, leading to staff shortages in some courses. Up to 70 per cent of university staff, were in “insecure employment”, the union said.
RMIT’s School of Global, Urban and Social Studies has been short on lecturing staff but the university spokeswoman said a change to administrative procedures had delayed the processing contracts.
“This has now been remedied with most staff receiving their contracts over the weekend and the rest following on Monday.’’
The RMIT union move comes on the back of the National Union of Students’s campaign, Save our Students, which was launched in April. Among a range of measures was a call for
course fees slashed by 20 per cent.