treskillard

The research community of the Universities in Paris have issued the Government with an ultimatum: that if the new laws governing academic funding etc are not revoked by 1200hrs monday next they, the students/teacher/researchers of the research community, will walk around and around in a big circle outside some Government Office or other, until, it would seem, they either fall over with fatigue or don't.

Ka Ora!

That's not like student's and teachers to do something useful, Sure it's not a Cloak and Danger trip to the pub.

treskillard

Only if subsidised.

Ewood

Do French undergraduates get 'loans'?

treskillard

I don't think they get anything. University fees are much lower and their may be 'help' for low income families with the fees but living expenses are your problem.

Andrea50

Cloak and Danger!

Are the uni fees in France more than ours here, or less?

Le Chant

Lots, lots less. As are the fees for 'private' schools.

Andrea50

That's good to hear. This country's mad policy of wanting 50% of "kids" in higher/further education by 2010 is laughable. Half of that half come out of school unable to string together a proper sentence, half of that half spend half their time on the internet fiddling about with Warcraft, half of that half can't really be bothered but "Mumsie" pays for em to go anyway, and the remaining 2 only went cos their mates did.

I know I'll get jumped on by evry higher education buff and culture vulture in the world now, but you could solve this in one hit. Make art and soft "ologies" bloody expensive at £10,000 a term, reduce the cost of sciences and "necessary" degrees, and make the entrance qualifications and interview actually mean something so the chances of getting the qual if you get on the course pretty darn high.

A friend's daughter once got a U in chemistry, and two scratchy D's, one of which was General Studies and got on a Marine Biology course at Southampton. Lead me away and let me die ...............

G-J-B

Funny you should mention that. I did part of a website for one of the Paris university's and know a couple of people who work there. I heard from one of them that the head of the University quickly told the staff to get the hell out of there, as they only had 30 minutes to evacuate. The students were going to barricade the president and keep him hostage at the University.
I said, why don't they just get the police in, but apparently there's a law set in '68 (the good old revolutionary days they still love to harp on about) meaning the police can't set foot in the university grounds to intervene.

When they protest in the UK it's usually with a pamphlet campaign, tea and scones.

treskillard

I wouldn't hope for much better or even different from the French Uni system which has a host of problems of its own and a few similar to the UK one.

G-J-B

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090325...a-5268574.html

Hadn't appreciated it until now, but "boss-napping" seems quite normal, and without police intervention even outside of the Uni's.