News in English

Editorial: We got money. What about tuition?
Student organizations can give themselves a well deserved pat on the shoulder. The freshly elected government will raise the study grant by 15 percent and the maximum limit of other income by 30 percent. This would not have come about without active influencing and loud trumpeting.

The work for the study grant raise had to be done, but meanwhile other things were left out of the spotlight. Now it is time to focus on the quality of tuition.

Both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance have been moulding universities into a more streamlined form. The ministries are demanding results and efficiency, which are not bad things in themselves. Tax-paid education brings responsibilities to students too.

However, the efficiency ideal has been executed in such superficial way that the whole concept has become an absurd joke. Too many things in universities happen just because they are dictated by the ministries.

A good example on the subject is the rant by researcher Pekka Masonen in this issue: “How can a continuously diminishing number of teachers train Masters from a continuously increasing number of students at a faster pace than ever before?"

It is a good question for which an answer has not been demanded strongly enough. The more the university staff is pressed the more the quality of teaching suffers. This is a problem which the student movement has not had the time to engage with enough effort.

Ensuring the quality of tuition remains one of the most important tasks of student organizations. Because the problem is national the expectations are directed at The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL).

The changes in the last few years indicate that the expectations have not been met very well. One reason for this might be that the people working in SYL and other student organizations change every couple of years. Whereas, in the slowly changing university system, two years is nothing.

Maybe we lack the experience needed to see what has happened and is happening now.

The university staff have the experience and they have vision. Would it be time to focus more cooperation with teachers and researchers? We have common interests.


Recent graduate unemployment on the rise
The unemployment figures of graduates from the University of Tampere a year after graduation have risen have risen from 3.8 percent, for 2004 graduates, to 5.7 percent, for 2005 graduates.

“On a national level, 2005 was slightly better than 2004. The figures for Tampere might have annual fluctuation but they also show the increase in the number of students. The number of students admitted should probably be decreased," assesses Simo Pöyhönen from the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland.

There is also a slight decrease in permanent employment among recent graduates. According to the survey only 38 percent of 2005 graduates had permanent employment.

The unemployment figures were highest among class teachers and graduates from natural sciences. Both had 15 percent unemployment. Most of the unemployed from natural sciences were philosophy majors.

Humanities and business graduates had the highest figures for working in jobs that did not match their qualifications. Eleven percent of both said that their job does not match their qualifications at all.

Jukka Mäkinen from the University of Tampere Career Centre advices that to aid employment of recent graduates on a national level, more money should be put into supporting graduation and employment instead of marketing universities to prospective students.

“We should add employment advancing elements to academic education. For example we could develop solutions such as academic apprenticeships," says Mäkinen.

“However, we should remember that non-graduate unemployment is threefold compared to graduate unemployment," reminds Juhani Turtiainen from the Employment and Economic Development Centre.


Summer hours at Tamy´s offices
At Tamy´s offices summer starts on 15th May. Until 15th August the General Office and the Financial Office will be open 8-14 on weekdays. The Quick cash help will be open 8-13.30. During lunch 11-12 all offices will be closed.

For staff vacations the Financial Office will be closed 18.6.-27.7. and the General office 18.6.-20.7. Applications for student cards for this academic year must be filed in before 28th May.

The next Aviisi comes out 26th July. It will be the first fresher issue in the history of Aviisi and is mailed to all new students.


Johanna Hiden new Secretary for Academic Affairs
Tamy´s Council of Representatives has elected Johanna Hiden, 25, as Tamy´s new Secretary for Academic Affairs. Hiden has been a member in group of representatives formed by humanities students since 2003. In 2005 and 2006, she was a member of Tamy´s Executive Board and her responsibilities included academic affairs. Hiden studies interactive technology.

There were only five applicants for the position and Hiden was superior from the beginning. In this exceptional situation, the Executive Board only preselected her for interview by the Council of Representatives. The responsibilities of the Secretary for Academic Affairs include monitoring all issues related to studying and learning at the Univeristy of Tampere and participating in managing those issues in different administrative bodies.


Ministry of Education: Scale down humanities
A recent survey by the Ministry of Education suggests that admissions for humanities should be cut by 600 to 900 students annually.

Even the baby boomers retiring in the coming years will not improve the employment situation of humanities graduates as they are much less educated than younger generations. According to the Ministry admissions should be scaled down, for example, in history, linguistics, and culture subjects.