[CODATA-international] How can some University Senior managers earning huge salaries oppose my humble request for providing scholarships for students from economically poor families?

Sun Apr 2 04:31:28 EDT 2023

Dear colleagues

I am grateful to all colleagues sharing ideas and information on how to provide more quality education opportunities for students from economically poor families and first-generation students.

Thank you to all colleagues who shared their observations and insights on this topic. Greatly appreciated.

More details at

https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2303&L=CRIT-GEOG-FORUM&O=D&P=358755

https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2304&L=CRIT-GEOG-FORUM&O=D&P=2739

I thought that UK university managements act under moral code which pays attention to the demands of social responsibility and looks after the welfare of all staff and students.

I now understand that what some University Senior managers say in their big speeches and announcements on EDI and what they actually practice is opposite.  Otherwise, why will they oppose my request for EDI scholarships for students from economically poor families and first-generation students?

Based on my experiences over many years , I do not trust any assurances and promises from some university senior managers now.

The Office for Students reports on University Senior management pay is shocking to read esp. in this current cost of living crisis in the UK [There are 4.2 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2021-22]

 https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c281aa9/the-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.officeforstudents.org.uk%2Fmedia%2F357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c281aa9%2Fthe-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Czaina.gadema%40NORTHUMBRIA.AC.UK%7C8d79c18cfd864554ff2c08db310d34dd%7Ce757cfdd1f354457af8f7c9c6b1437e3%7C0%7C0%7C638157705263812304%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=d4l2%2FWhOm%2BUW9VMLA1c8kU8Qs8X8OLMMZDTOyOhMLbo%3D&reserved=0>.

For example, in Page 6 it says  “The mean total remuneration for the same period was £269,000 (£267,000 for 2018-19). “

Why is some Senior University managers salary and payments this ridiculously high?  This big salary greed is not good.

I understand that the income that universities receive in student tuition fees ( it is also important to remember that many students take student loans to cover their huge fees and are in huge debts later) is increasing  and, higher pay for senior university figures has increased in line with increased income from tuition fees, as the Office for Students reports (See figure 1 - https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c281aa9/the-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.officeforstudents.org.uk%2Fmedia%2F357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c281aa9%2Fthe-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Czaina.gadema%40NORTHUMBRIA.AC.UK%7C8d79c18cfd864554ff2c08db310d34dd%7Ce757cfdd1f354457af8f7c9c6b1437e3%7C0%7C0%7C638157705263812304%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=d4l2%2FWhOm%2BUW9VMLA1c8kU8Qs8X8OLMMZDTOyOhMLbo%3D&reserved=0>).

If so, is this student fee income now being used as a way to keep increasing the Senior University managers ridiculously high salary and benefits? Is this ethical?

The rise of corrupt practices in the current UK Higher Education managements is very worrying. There should not be any place for favouritism or cronyism in university senior management appointments.

It is very evident that some senior university managers’ main focus is to keep increasing their pay by any means. Greed leads to corrupt practices and corruption.  Some university Senior Managers are working to game the system to benefit their huge pay increases. Isn’t this corruption?

It is important to say NO to corrupt practices and corruption in any form.

I request the UK Government to investigate the current state of affairs of the UK Higher Education sector with the aim to end corrupt practices and reform UK Higher Education. UK Government should investigate current practices for senior management appointments in UK universities, Senior University Managers salaries and perks. UK Government should introduce a Maximum Salary Limit for Vice Chancellors and all Senior Managers of all UK universities.

This is a wider social justice issue.  I think it needs policies at the level of governments. If indeed policies and mandates about equitable education are possible with a binding on the higher Education institutes to comply, only then there will be real changes.

There are 4.2 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2021-22 . That's 29 per cent of children (This percentage might be higher now due to cost of living crisis in the UK ) https://cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/child-poverty-facts-and-figures<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcpag.org.uk%2Fchild-poverty%2Fchild-poverty-facts-and-figures&data=05%7C01%7Czaina.gadema%40NORTHUMBRIA.AC.UK%7C8d79c18cfd864554ff2c08db310d34dd%7Ce757cfdd1f354457af8f7c9c6b1437e3%7C0%7C0%7C638157705263812304%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rceNughkw6vNf2y9BOR6pDoUvf7iSrYStmHXrJzwEm4%3D&reserved=0>

Hence there is a need to provide full scholarships for 30 percent of seats in each Russell Group university (the richest and prestigious universities in the UK) for students from economically poor families and first-generation students (first in family to go to university).

I will be highlighting all these issues in my open letter on the need for  “Right to quality education opportunities for all”  to UK Government and to all major UK Political parties requesting their kind support for this.

I will share the open letter with all of you. I request your kind support by contacting your MPs and emailing the open letter on “Right to quality education opportunities for all” to your MP requesting support.

QUALITY EDUCATION IS A HUMAN RIGHT.

We all need to work together for ensuring the right to quality education for students from economically poor families and first-generation students.

Let us all work together so that we can ensure the right to quality education opportunities for the 4.2 million children currently living in poverty in the UK. This is important for the better future of our country and our future generations.

Best wishes

Suchith

________________________________
From: Suchith Anand
Sent: 26 March 2023 13:26
Subject: How can some University Senior managers earning huge salaries oppose my humble request for providing full scholarships for students from economically poor families?

Dear colleagues,

I would like to thank all colleagues from universities in the UK who send their moral support for my request to University managements to provide new 100 full scholarships per year at each UK university for  students from economically poor families and first-generation students (first in family to go to university). Your help and support is greatly appreciated.

I understand that some senior management colleagues in some UK universities are opposing my request for providing new 100 full scholarships per year at each UK university for  students from economically poor families and first-generation students.

According to statistics provided at Child Poverty Action Group , there were 4.2 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2021-22. That's 29 per cent of children, or nine in a classroom of 30. Details at https://cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/child-poverty-facts-and-figures

Extreme child poverty in the UK is a humanitarian and ethical crisis. In educational terms, poverty is a significant disadvantage. The link between poverty and poor educational outcomes and wellbeing in the UK has remained stubbornly and depressingly high despite longstanding policy concern at national, local and jurisdictional levels of government.

Child poverty, education and the postcode lottery

https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2020/08/19/child-poverty-education-and-the-postcode-lottery/

Access to quality education opportunities is a human right. Universities have a social responsibility. There is an urgent need to scale up the EDI scholarship initiatives by all UK universities.

How can some University Senior managers who are earning huge salaries (over £100K per year!) oppose my humble request for  providing 100 full scholarships for students from economically poor families and first-generation students?

What moral authority do these university senior mangers have when they  continued to increase senior management pay and their investments in vanity projects?  At the same time, staff in higher education who have worked hard and generated record income for the sector has only to be rewarded with attacks on their pay, working conditions, and pensions.

I request the University vice-chancellors and senior management in all UK Universities to please consider my humble request for providing new 100 full scholarships per year at each UK university for  students from economically poor families and first-generation students.

If you are working in a UK university and your university doesn’t have a EDI scholarships program, may I request you to be a champion in your university for EDI scholarships initiative. May I request you to kindly share and support the Open Letter that I published requesting EDI scholarships at all UK universities.

Please find details of my open letters at

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/thank-you-your-support-edi-scholarships-initiative-suchith-anand/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-requesting-edi-scholarships-all-uk-suchith-anand/

I request your kind support for my request for providing new 100 full scholarships per year at each UK university for  students from economically poor families and first-generation students.

I am very grateful to all amazing colleagues from around the world working for making education opportunities for all.

I look forward to working with all UK universities to increase education opportunities for all students.

Best wishes

Suchith

Dr Suchith Anand

Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist | Board member | Governance | Policy | Consultant in Data Science and Data Ethics | Global Citizen | SDG Volunteer and Advocate

https://council.science/profile/suchith-anand/

https://www.rd-alliance.org/users/suchith-anand

This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee
and may contain confidential information. If you have received this
message in error, please contact the sender and delete the email and
attachment. 

Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not
necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. Email
communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored 
where permitted by law.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.codata.org/pipermail/codata-international_lists.codata.org/attachments/20230402/9968ac1b/attachment.html>