Job-cutting London v-cs warned to consult unions
Lecturers' union Natfhe has written to vice-chancellors across London, warning them that they must consult unions over any significant job losses. Staff at the University of Greenwich are being offered voluntary severance, particularly in law and the social sciences, and chemistry. Natfhe has written to the university, stating that if 20 or more jobs are to go, then the university is obliged to consult the unions. Natfhe also wrote to Thames Valley University, which is seeking to shed staff and the University of East London which accepted the need for consultation.
EU announces British winners of Tempus grants
British winners of grants from the latest €29.4 million (£18.1 million) budget for the European Union's Tempus programme have been announced. Liverpool John Moores will receive €496,000 (£305,000) over three years for developing an international finance masters programme at Kiev National Shevchenko University and Newcastle University will help Al-Farabi Kazakh University, Kazakhstan, develop a computer studies syllabus with a €188,000 (£115,500) grant. Other successful applicants include Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Wales Lampeter, University of Exeter and St Martins College, Leicester.
ILL inquiry hears evidence north of the border
An inquiry into a flagship government training scheme suspended amid fraud allegations was hearing evidence today from lifelong learning minister Wendy Alexander. The minister was meeting the Scottish Parliament's enterprise and lifelong learning committee to discuss individual learning accounts.
Argentinian rectors deliver ultimatum to minister
Rectors of Argentina's public universities warned education minister Graciela Giannettasio yesterday that they will bring lectures to a halt throughout the country unless they receive immediate funding to cover staff salaries for March and outstanding running and maintenance costs dating back to September. Up to five universities have already suspended teaching.
Thousands of mummies unearthed in Lima shanty
Thousands of Inca mummies have been unearthed from beneath a shanty town on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, scientists revealed today. Remains of more than 2,200 individuals have been recovered, all buried between about 1480 and 1535. The discovery is revealed in a television documentary, "Inca Mummies: Secrets of a Lost Empire", to be shown in the UK on the National Geographic Channel on May 19.