Universities in Spain and LOU

The following link is to an article in Monday's International Herald Trubune and references the student & faculty unrest
with the proposed LOU. Can any of our Spanish friends - especially those
attending university or teaching at university explain the situation more fully?
http://navigation.helper.realnames.com/framer/1/113/default.asp?realname=International+Herald+Tribune&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eiht%2Ecom%2F&frameid=1&providerid=113&uid=30003799

[ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Well, I can't tell you much about this new law because I haven't read it myself. It seems that everyone is against it because they say it goes towards the privatization of the Spanish university.

Another thing I heard of the LOU is that is trying to avoid nepotism when it comes to hire new teachers. I was told by a Spanish university teacher how easy it is for them to "choose" among their friends or even relatives when appoiting a new teacher (even though he/she may not be the best candidate).

The decission is made by teacher from the same university (and colleagues usually helps each other) and they don't have to pass any exams.

Note that this is not the only way in which a teacher can enter the university. If they do it through a "oposición", then they do have to pass an exam, but that's they only way of getting a job for live. The former way of hiring staff is for what we call "interinos".

Obviously, if the new law avoids nepotism, you can understand why teachers are so against it.

As for students.... well, they are easily manipulated and most of them will support any form of strike providing that they don't have lessons. I'm sure hardly any of the students shouting in the demonstration last Saturday have read it.

As I said before I haven't read it either so I can't tell you whether it's good or bad.

A friend of mine who is a student at a private university in Madrid said that it was just a way for the pubic university students to get out of doing work and that they tended to complain more about that status quo ... don't know how biased his point of view is, but that's what he said.

Unfortunately the system of hiring professors can be rather shady in this country as well. I wouldn't call it nepotism, but sometimes it does boil down to who you know.

Churrito