00:00It was the news staff had been dreading. University of Technology Sydney today confirmed it will axe almost a third of its subjects and more than 130 jobs.
00:12I can't tell you that that felt great of course. I feel very heartbroken.
00:18The university has been plagued by debt for five years and says the cuts will save 100 million dollars.
00:24It's planning to scrap its entire teacher education program, a move that's alarmed the state government.
00:31As we're grappling with a national and international teacher shortage, we need every graduate that we can get entering the profession.
00:39Also to go are courses in public health and international studies.
00:43This is a huge impact that this is going to have on students studying now and going into the future.
00:48UTS is just one of the universities proposing major job cuts, with Western Sydney University also flagging up to 400 jobs could go there.
00:58It comes as the sector grapples with falling revenue in part because of dwindling enrolment numbers and restrictions on international students.
01:06We have eight out of ten NSW universities that are entertaining large scale restructuring and job cuts.
01:13So something in the order of 1,500, 1,600 jobs are on the chopping block.
01:19And it's an issue that's being scrutinised by a parliamentary inquiry, chaired by a former UTS academic turned Labor MP.
01:26I don't dispute that there are challenges for the sector.
01:29What I dispute in this particular case with UTS is how they have gone about this decision making.
01:35It has been secretive, opaque and unacceptable.
01:39The Federal Government denies its policies have contributed to the problem and that it's managing international education sustainably.
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