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The Changing Student Situations
by Jennifer Dawson
As
we begin to examine what is actually happening amongst students in the campuses
of the Asia-Pacific region, especially from the perspective of the Student
Christian Movement, I believe we must ask ourselves how far and how
realistically students can be prophetic in their own context and how far they
merely express and reinforce the values of the society around them. So we start
by examining that context.
Those attending
the CCA-WSCF Joint Programme in 1995 will bring to the gathering current
experience of what is happening in our region. Suffice to say at this point
that the region has undergone enormous change in recent years.
The end of the
Cold War has meant that there is now no balancing force to the
We cannot avoid
noting the developing role of the military and the growth of the armaments industry,
supporting violent action, for example the SLORC government in
Another feature
is the growth of the newly industrialised countries.
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to show that Asian countries can achieve
"miracle economies."
The growth of
"miracle economies" seems counter to a basic element of democracy -
the equal distribution of a nation's economic wealth and equal opportunities
for all nations to develop economically.
Yet people's
power is still a factor in Asian politics - recent demonstrations in
We
must note the rise of fundamentalism - Hindu fundamentalists in
There is also
much greater mobility throughout and outside the region, especially amongst the
affluent internationally-oriented business people, but also the migrant
workers.
Poverty remains
an enormous issue: seven out of ten poor persons throughout the world can be found
in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Yet, in terms of our topic, those
who come to university education are generally far removed from the poor; to
some extent they are drawn from an elite group, the winners in their own
society.
This is the wider
geo-political and social context in which we come to analyse the ideological
and intellectual climate amongst students and academics. Now we turn to what
can be observed in the tertiary institutions.
My own situation,
and the university I know best, is in
The situation in
universities inevitably relates to the wider society. It also expresses
internal factors, such as who has access to the university and the perceived
purpose of education. One of the great student issues of our time must be the
financial one. More than ever, a wealthy
family background seems almost essential. The "user-pays" market
economy requires that those being educated fund their own learning, with a
consequent limited focus on passing exams,
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getting good grades, and earning big money (if
only to pay back the huge bank loans that many students have).
The role of
governments in funding education is changing, reflecting both the market
economy and increasing individualisation. At present, in my own country, there
is a proposal that private training courses will get the same funding as
universities and polytechnics. There are of course continuing major questions
about the particular role of universities within the whole broad range of
tertiary institutions, especially with greater emphasis on vocational
training. Within universities,
subjects like science, technology, and business courses are attracting both
huge funding and big numbers of students, while liberal arts courses are less
popular.
It
seems that progressive politics among students have been in retreat for the
last twenty years. Political groups, clubs and societies relating to progressive
causes and issues, and ideological discussions seem to be edged out by other
commitments. Yet on one level, despite the enormous time pressure, there always
seems to be a consistent minority who are prepared to engage with the world and
think critically.
Even activism
itself needs to be critiqued: is it only about self-interest (for example, the
cost to oneself of education) or something bigger (for example, education as
empowerment for all)? On the positive side, students of the 1990's seem to have
a wider awareness of some issues (such as sexism and racism) than students of
earlier years, yet in countries like my own, one has to wonder what it is that
would actually get the students out on the streets taking direct action.
Perhaps the key
to understand this is that university students today seem very
pressured. With internal assessment and high expectations on them, there is
constant concern with grades and little time for other activities that might be
called radical. As someone said, ideas are dying out because people have not
got time. Maybe this is the end of student idealism,
maybe it is that today's students don't think they can do anything to bring
about change.
There also seems
to be a decline in movement skills: coalition-building and strategising are
often not well understood so that what campaigns there are sometimes do not
succeed because of tactical weaknesses.
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What
has happened to the boldness of students? Some faculty members seem still part of
the radical critical left, committed to developing styles of education that are
genuinely liberating. More traditional educational methods, whether consciously
or not, use theory as a form of social control which eventually destroys the
boldness of Students. Education for transformation encourages understanding,
analysing, naming and developing the tools of a resisting community.
Such a direction
is the kind of movement-building that has always been fostered by WSCF. Today,
there is clearly a decline in the role and influence of SCMs
in campuses in Asia-Pacific countries. In Aotearoa -
Influenced
by both increasing evangelical presence in the churches and a greater concern
with self throughout society, there are stronger individualistic attitudes
towards faith amongst students. All this means that building community is both
more difficult and less popular, as the gospel is reinterpreted to suit a
market economy. Now to draw some conclusions. What
does all this mean, especially for the progressive student movement?
At the beginning,
I suggested that we must ask ourselves how far and how realistically students
can be prophetic in their own context and how far they merely express and
reinforce the values of the society around them. If, as I believe is true at
present, we are experiencing a trend in many societies towards individual
excellence, acceptance of the status quo rather than encouragement to question
and explore, and narrow commitment to training for high-paying jobs, then much
of the university environment will and does tend to discourage what may be
called "prophetic movements." Accordingly, this would seem to be a
difficult time for SCM which has always encouraged students to think, analyse,
question and build community. However, SCMs
throughout Asia-Pacific can look with pride at leaders in the ecumenical
movement and in the wider society who have received their early training and
inspiration through SCM. These leaders are in a position to encourage and
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affirm – and to allow ourselves to be challenged!
We all need the kind of intellectual and academic environment which is fostered
by SCM, especially in this focussed, individualistic, personal success-oriented
world of the 1990s.
Yet it is from
being on the margins of society that a prophetic voice gains power. If SCM is
to be that prophetic voice, then not only is it necessary to rediscover deep
movement-building skills; it is also essential to understand solidarity, and
with whom God's people are called to stand. Solidarity with the rich and
comfortable is almost a contradiction in terms, yet that is all that is
possible unless students and academics look beyond the walls of the university
to where God's Spirit is working for change in all pans of the society. That is
where the links must be made if the climate is to change.
Jennifer Dawson is an ordained minister of Aotearoa -