Earlier this week, Murdoch University announced that it had abandoned the financial component of its law suit against Dr Gerd Schroeder-Turk for appearing on ABC’s Four Corners last year and criticising Murdoch’s international student entry and teaching standards:
Murdoch issued a statement to all staff on Monday saying it was “withdrawing the financial component of its counter claim against the legal proceedings the Associate Professor commenced in 2019”…
The university says it will defend its right to remove Schroder – Turk as the staff-appointed member of the university’s governing Senate, a move that the academic is challenging in a claim to the Fair Work Commission.
The statement says Senate members “must at all times act in the best interests of the University and not use their position to cause detriment to the university.”
Yesterday, a national group of university professors published an open letter demanding Murdoch University drop its remaining legal action to remove Dr Schroeder-Turk as its only academic representative on the University’s senate – the highest governing body:
“…the Australian Association of University Professors labelled the university’s attack on Associate Professor Schroder-Turk as an “assault on academic freedom”.
The letter defended Professor Schroder-Turk, saying he had “rightfully raised concerns” about the wellbeing of international students at Murdoch University and called on the university to immediately “drop any legal or punitive actions against him”…
In its letter, the AAUP said evidence supported Professor Schroder-Turk’s concerns.
“On average, international students do not do as well as domestic students,” the AAUP said.
“The reasons behind their poorer performance are likely to be diverse, and it is crucial that they are discussed.
“International students and their families invest too much to receive an education of questionable quality.”
Academics must be free to speak their minds and tell the truth, which is what Dr Gerd Schroeder-Turk did about the international students failing to meet basic standards of literacy in English when enrolling to study at Murdoch University, where English is used.
It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that Australian universities have signed up international students as cash generators for their institutions, co-signed by Australia’s corrupt state and federal governments, rather than placing an emphasis on maintaining if not raising the quality and standards of the degrees they are offering.
An academic should not get lambasted for merely pointing out these undeniable truths.
