International Student Movement

MArch 20th:
Rallies for Free Education in Russia

Митинг против деградации образования в рамках "Весны сопротивления" from chto delat on Vimeo.

Students, teachers, parents and pupils rallied at least in St. Petersburg and Moscow against the increasing privatisation and degradation of education as part of the "Spring of Resistance."

St. Petersburg

(the banner says: "be realistic - demand free emancipatory education")

REPORT

On the 20th of March the meeting of the students and professors against austerity, commercialization of education and privatization of public sphere gathered more than 300 participants at Saint-Petersburg.
Activists from the Committee for the Academical Solidarity spoke about problems of higher education, where salaries of the stuff is decreasing, students’ scholarships still form only 30 euros a month and technical stuff is fired for their attempts to defend their labour rights. At the same time at the main Universities of the state such as Saint-Petersburg and Moscow Universities the form of management became more and more vertical, the academic senates are abolished for the benefit of ‘adminnistrational’ type of governing. The student union of Saint-Petersburg State University is rejected by the administration even though the constituent assembly was held by all the rules. At the same time such centralized type of transaction leads to the unparalleled decrease of the quality of education and including different types of quasi-scientific disciplines such as ‘orthodox sociology’ in the syllabus. Students and precarious workers held and shouted such slogans as “Be realists, demand education – free and emancipatory”, “Education instead of training”, “One world – onе struggle / Free emancipatory education for all”, “All the power – to the student unions”, “University is not a market, knowledge is not a commodity” and others.

On 24th of March a meeting in support of students in Russia and for the acceptance of the Student Union at Saint-Petersburg University in particular will be held in Paris by our French comrades.
This meeting as well as the action described above are part of European Week of Action and “Spring of Resistance”.

March 20, 2011
St. Petersburg, Pioneer Square

Despite promises to increase funding in education, the university salaries are reduced, and the teachers quietly laid off. Just as silently the pay for canteen workers was cut while prices for meals increased. Apparently this was done to make the new company SPBGU MLA profitable. People are suffering from cuts in wages and violations of labor rights. Other employees of universities effected by cuts: caretakers, security guards, librarians and secretaries. Despite the rhetoric of "openness" and "transparency" and to adopt a new leadership headed by SPBGU Kropacheva, now Saint Petersburg State University is increasingly closing itself from the outside world with strict regulations.
Now, in accordance with the provisions of the new Charter, students decided to elect an independent governing body. However, the administration initially helps to prevent its activities and creates an on paper servile student council.

Higher education exists to share the intellectual creativity of students and teachers, rather than for administrative purposes! It's time to unite. Only coordinated actions of students, teachers and all workers of St. Petersburg State University will force bureaucrats to reckon with our interests, stop the violation of our rights and enable us to achieve genuine self-government.

Workers of culture and education have already begun to assert their rights! The labor collective of the Place of Youth Creativity, who want to destroy for profit businesses in education, is currently struggling to preserve its unique educational complex.

Academic Committee of Solidarity
academsolidarity.wordpress.com

St. Petersburg State University Student Council
studsovet.org

Moscow

REPORT

Students and faculty of the Moscow State University acted against the new attack on the education

In the morning of March 20 students and faculty of the Moscow State University (MSU) held a picket at the metro station closest to the university campus against the neoliberal reforms in education: «Federal Law 83» (enforcing commercialization of public institutions), new educational standards (severely reducing free school education) and the law «On Education» (further damaging public education). About 30 people took part in the protest. They chanted: «No to paid education!», «The students are ready to fight — our world is not for sale!», «Less banks, more books!», «Let’s go to the streets to get our universities back!».

The authorities claim that the current devastating reforms are nothing but the move towards «personal responsibility» and «freedom of choice». No one believes them. The overwhelming majority of people who witnessed the action expressed their support for the protesters. Tens of people got interested, talked to students and exchanged contacts.

Even the few policemen who were present at the scene were quite supportive (however one of them said he was going to send his kids to Great Britain to study).

During an hour and a half protesters distributed over 1000 copies of the bulletin to MSU students and professors hurrying to the campus. The bulletin was prepared by the Initiative Group MSU, which took part in the action. The group was founded over a year ago and engages in both local issues and broad problems. It coordinates the campaign against educational reforms in the University, distributes the information among students and faculty and publishes its own bulletin.

Opposition against the educational reforms in the MSU is growing and the campaign will develop in the future.

source: studsovet.org

 

Ekaterinburg

REPORT

Ekaterinburg, March 20 (New Region, Tatiana Pashkova) – A rally which ended with a spontaneous march and a "seizure" of the regional Ministry of Education.

Nearly two hundred people, mostly students of Ekaterinburg universities, came to the monument of Tatischev de Gennin to rally against the education policies. School and university students (at the rally were several high school students) are angered about the next reform of secondary education, which reduces the number of compulsory subjects (history, arts, etc.).

When it became known to hold a rally, the organizers have hinted that they must not be limited to certain actions: in fact very close to the venue is the regional Ministry of Education. When the rally ended the crowd (though not everyone) moved to the building of the ministry. Police did not interfere. Rally participants even managed to get into the building of the Ministry to give a text protesting the reform, incl. Gathered signatures below.

Sources: academsolidarity.wordpress.com + nr2.ru