From an international Nursing student at Northumbria University in support of UCU, and against management's plans for pay and pension injustice.
As an international nursing student, I am paying £18,500 per year in tuition fees for a two-year programme. Like many others, I made the decision to study in the UK because of its global reputation for academic excellence, stability, and integrity. What we are experiencing now feels far removed from what we were promised.
Due to the University’s decision to force staff to change their pension scheme, or face wage freezes if they do not comply, we are facing repeated strike action. The result is uncertainty of classes being cancelled, future disrupt to clinical preparation, uncertainty around assessments, and a constant sense of instability. Our learning has been interrupted at critical points in our education.
For many of us, the impact has been even more severe. Dissertation supervisors', mentors who were to guide us through some of the most academically and emotionally demanding parts of our degrees have accepted voluntary severance and had to leave very quickly. Their sudden departures have caused significant disruption to our research, our timelines, and our confidence.
This is not what we are paying for. This is not the experience we were promised.
Beyond the immediate disruption, what feels most disheartening is the way our lecturers are being treated. These are individuals who dedicate their lives to education, not for prestige or profit, but out of passion and commitment to shaping the next generation. They do more than deliver lectures. They mentor us, encourage us when we doubt ourselves, and help us build dreams that will ultimately serve society. In nursing especially, the education we receive is not just academic; it is moral, professional, and lifelong.
Without educators who are willing to impart knowledge with passion and integrity, where is the future? Universities do not thrive because of buildings or branding they thrive because of the people who teach, guide, and inspire. These same educators who once benefited from mentorship and support are now being asked to accept cuts to the very pensions that represent decades of dedication, their “backbone” years spent nurturing younger generations. It feels like a betrayal by a system made up of individuals who themselves were shaped by teachers.
As students, we stand in the middle. We are paying substantial fees. We are investing not only money, but time, trust, and our futures. The current situation could be resolved if the University honoured the commitments it made to staff regarding their pensions. Instead, we are facing prolonged uncertainty.
We want to learn. Our lecturers want to teach. We did not choose disruption, but we understand why staff feel they have no alternative.
We hope the University chooses to listen.
