Read on Twitter
. @noteworthy_ie investigation into conditions in Irish higher education continues. Unsurprisingly precarious work hurts women, minorities, & those with disabilities more: https://www.thejournal.ie/academic-uncertainty-pt2-5265743-Nov2020/?utm_source=shortlink & PhD students are in some places having their labour abused https://www.thejournal.ie/academic-uncertainty-pt3-5265677-Nov2020/
Eight further thoughts on why this is important work.
1. One of the features of precarity is those experiencing it directly have no incentive to speak up about it because of....precarious work! So having a voice for them matters massively. This is what journalism is really for.
1. One of the features of precarity is those experiencing it directly have no incentive to speak up about it because of....precarious work! So having a voice for them matters massively. This is what journalism is really for.
2. The public doesn't understand what goes on inside higher education in 2020. I find this when talking about research, but also when it comes to teaching. There's an idea we get 4 months off a year, everyone has a permanent job, etc, etc. @mhdelaney shows this is not the case.
3. The public funds higher ed to the tune of > €1bn ( https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/parliamentaryBudgetOffice/2020/2020-09-02_financial-implications-of-covid-19-for-ireland-s-university-sector_en.pdf). They have a right to expect high quality research & education. By & large they get this, but it might surprise the public to learn the person teaching their kids would earn more if they worked in Aldi
4. There might be a temptation here to demonise university managements. I don't think this is helpful. The rise in precarity is in part a reaction to an increasing demand for services and a fixed supply of permanent positions because of the employment control framework.
5. No one should imagine that people who can't afford a Ford Fiesta are going to produce excellent research and teaching long term. Long term the public want and should expect excellence from their 3rd level system. They are not going to get that from the current model.
6. This is not just about cash. @SimonHarrisTD is aware the funding issue needs to be addressed and it will be in 2021. . Not all problems in Irish public policy can be solved with more money. It's more about how HEIs do things differently in the coming years.
7. IMO a lot more of this has to do with how we restructure further & higher education. We should start with an honest conversation with the public, who probably weren't aware of the extent of precarity in the higher ed sector.
8. IMO the public doesn't have a good sense of why research of all kinds is so important & it doesn't have a good sense of what truly excellent teaching is. That's the fault of the sector, not the public. But leading discussions is what we're good at. We should start having one.
