Gilbert Responds to Student Direct Criticism

THE VICE Chancellor of The University of Manchester has encouraged his academic colleagues to read the Student Direct front page that highlighted cuts in contact hours.

Run in the April 14th edition of the paper, it has attracted nationwide recognition with an article being run in the Times Higher Education magazine, and being discussed on the BBC in the week that the story broke.

Now it has been mentioned in this month's edition of UniLife in Vice President Alan Gilbert's editorial.

The editorial features the appointment of Professor Colin Stirling as the Vice-President of Teaching and Learning at the University, after the position has been left open for nearly a year.

While criticising the article run in Student Direct for making "no attempt to understand the context in which the downward trend in teaching hours has occurred over the past twenty years," he calls the findings from a Freedom of Information Act request "undeniable".

Quoting the Student Direct editorial in that week's issue he claims that: "Dissatisfaction is actually voiced by only a small proportion of the whole student population; Our University is the most popular in the country so we must be doing something right."

Gilbert blamed the fall in teaching hours on the drop in funding received by UK universities, particularly the diminishing investment in undergraduate learning.

He also makes the point that the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of Teaching and Learning will need the whole hearted support of the students at the University, if the planned turn-around of teaching quality is to be achieved.