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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. [Volume 39, Number 19, 1976.]

The President Speaks

The President Speaks

Agrarian images including wheat and bee hive

Image of a man wearing a boat hat

This week sees a concerted effort by many students to highlight the effects of in term assessment and to press for greater students control and participation in the structuring of their courses.

Why are people pissed off with varsity? There is no single reason but one thing is certain, the present tertiary education system in New Zealand rarely serves the interests of students. The old ethic that students come to university to get a meal or credibility ticket is true. Accordingly many are happy to take what is served up to them in their courses without bothering to question the basic relevance to their future lives or society. Even if people do realise that they are being fed a load of crap in their courses they are happy to go along with it since to question it will only cause "problems".

That the university reinforces the present structure of society and thus the controlling interests of society can be seen by looking at the courses taught (the method and content) and the workings of some of the university's bodies. The course critiques and the examination of the assessment procedures bieng used will give the opportunity for people to clearly focus on the basic issues. This week people must start to ask themselves are they part of the learning process or are they merely products of it.

Don't sit in lectures or tutorials any longer and blandly accept what is being taught. Analyse, question and contribute so that in classes lecturers and students are working with each other - not against each other.