University of Otago students will take a stand on campus today to protest soaring tuition fees and the government scrapping of the fees-free scheme. Co-organisers Petra Campbell and Annabel Hankin said they were “very excited” to be leading the movement, and expected “at least 500” to attend. "We’ve got four platforms: fees-free education, increasing funding for universities to above inflation, restoring independent student unions and a universal student allowance.” Ms Campbell hoped the event would be “enthusiastic”. OTAGO IMAGES/OTAGO DAILY TIMESStudents protesting about issues impacting students, Petra Campbell, left, and Annabelle Hankan, right, at the Union Lawn on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Gregor Richardson There were also demands for the university: “no fee hikes, no cuts to staff or to programmes, and also to fight government austerity and say no to this chronic underfunding”. Ms Hankin expected this to be one of many events the Education Action Group would hold. “We want to get more and more people into the organising room so that we can keep planning more and more actions that can get bigger and bigger to make our demands louder and us heard that much stronger.” University politics lecturer Dr Brian Roper said he had witnessed more political engagement from students in the past couple of years, although possibly not at the level of the early 1990s. He was heartened by the march to the Octagon earlier this year, where about 400 students attended. Part of it had been triggered by rising student fees, which have increased by 6% a year for the past three years, “which for most students means increased debt of $12,000”, Dr Roper said. “Many students have no idea how extreme this funding model is and how inconsistent it is with the funding of tertiary education and more than half of the OECD.” Dr Roper said the point of such protests was to shine a light on the inequities, and he felt if enough pressure was put on the status quo they could make a difference. “Those actors who are committed to maintaining the status quo, which is unfortunately the Labour and National parties, Treasury, etc, etc, are always going to argue that protest is ineffective and makes no difference. “But the reality is that if you looked at the big student protests in the 1990s they did make a real difference. “They couldn't roll back the neo-liberal policy regime, but they really put the brakes on it because one has to remember just how extreme the proposals were back then. "Treasury in its 1987 government management post-election briefing papers was advocating a fully privatised student loan scheme of the kind that they have in the United States.” Dr Roper said protests were particularly relevant and timely in an election year. “Student protests, if they're large enough and militant enough, can force governments to change course.” The protest march begins at the University Union Lawn at noon.
