London Met and its students have been vilified for years; being the scapegoat of choice when the degreed class protest widening participation to protect their own privilege. Now it is being attacked in the so-called 'fight against immigration' - with thousands of students given days to find new places to continue their degrees or leave the country.
If this latest attack did not have such appalling consequences for so many - this would be seen as the desperate, laughable, political action that it is - and yet more evidence of the de facto creation of a two tier HE system - not least by the continued bad press that demonises spaces for successful working class/'non-traditional' education. This draconian and patently unjust and unethical behaviour destroys the lives not only of those students immediately affected by the actions of the ConDem government via the UKBA - but of all LondMet students.
All students need the respect and reward that their degrees deserve. LondMet students know how hard they have worked for their degrees - and they need their degrees to have value in the wider world. This elitist, cruel and partisan behaviour should be protested. Starkey (2002) was allowed to say in the House of Lords that 'there are Mickey Mouse students for whom Mickey Mouse degrees are quite appropriate' - that statement was appalling snobbery and effrontery - it should not have gone unchallenged then - we are paying the price now!
As I was saying to some new friends recently: "First they came for London Met, but I was not a London Met lecturer, so I did not protest... "
Here're just a few tweets:
Sandra Sinfield
This is from our students: Support for London Metropolitan University and International Students - Sign the Petitionhttp://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-for-london-metropolitan-university-and-internat1.html …
Amnesty for international students at London Metropolitan University - Sign the Petition http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/amnesty-for-international-students-at-london-metropolit.html …
Not illegal, but scapegoated then? "@AndyDMMitchell: Times Higher Education - UEL opens doors to London Met students http://bit.ly/O11Spd "
Terrible news about londonmet. Unacceptable treatment of our, or any, students. If there is a problem, fix it. No way for Govt. to behave!
Georgia Power
Good interview from @NUS_Liam on the UKBA/London Met situation, a punishment on international students not LMU.
Rachel Wenstone
This is a complete betrayal for the students at London Met and a disaster for our education sector as a wholehttp://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2012/august/28-LMU-revoked …
CODA - Since the argument is that all the displaced and traduced students will get an alternative place - just how valid was the hysteria about London Met's untrustworthy practices?
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