“More than 950 [United Kingdom] university staff, including all vice-chancellors, were paid more than the Prime Minister – an eight per cent increase on the year before.   One senior administrator at Oxford was given a salary of almost £600,000, thought to be the highest-paid university post in the country.   Last night, the disclosure prompted claims that universities were showing an ‘arrogant disregard’ for public opinion. It comes just weeks after ministers backed plans to triple the cap on student tuition fees from just over £3,000 to £9,000 a year, sparking riots in Westminster and prompting fears that some teenagers will be priced out of higher education. The move also comes despite the biggest cuts to university budgets in a generation.   Higher education institutions have been hit harder than almost every other sector in the drive to cut public spending, with some £573m removed from budgets last March.   Institutions have also been told to prepare for further reductions of £3billion by 2015. Universities defended the rises, saying large pay packets were necessary to allow them to attract the best talent and compete with leading institutions overseas.   But Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, said: ‘It is disgusting that at a time when vice-chancellors have been pushing for the opportunity to take more money from students they are rewarding themselves with even more inflated salaries.  ’It is this kind of arrogant disregard that also sees bankers paying themselves and the Government should be doing more to prevent it’.   Sally Hunt, general secretary of the Universities and Colleges Union, added: ‘Staff and the general public are tired of the hypocrisy from vice-chancellors and their lack of self-awareness when it comes to pay is insulting’ ”

Link to full article

No related posts.

One Response to “United Kingdom: “Row over hike in university vice-chancellors’ pay””