Thousands to protest on Wednesday

University of Copenhagen (UCPH) students are rallying in protest against the notorious ‘speed-up’ reform that will cut the time available to complete studies.

Protesting students are calling for action via. facebook and, at the time of writing, 4,431 people are due to attend a demonstration on Wednesday 27 November at 12:00 at Vor Frue Plads, just outside the building housing the UCPH administration. The protest has been organised by the Student Council.

The reform that will reduce the number of months available to complete studies, in Danish ‘fremdriftsreform’, due to be implemented nationwide on 1 July 2014.

‘Rushed and destructive’

“We will not stand back and watch while our university makes an awful reform even worse”, the organisers write on their facebook page.

The demonstration has been timed to coincide exactly with a key UCPH management meeting. Prorector Lykke Friis said subsequently on her Facebook page that the reforms were not on the agenda of this particular meeting. The Student Council countered that the point on the agenda had been precisely deferred in response to the planned protests. Now, the Student Council says that the protests will go ahead disregardless.

Want student influence

The organisers of the rally call the speed-up directive “rushed and destructive”. According to the event page, the aim of the protest is to send a clear message to the University rectorate and the deans, demanding that leave should still be possible for Master’s students, and that 45 ECTS points shouldn’t be an absolute requirement per academic year.

Lastly, the protesters demand that student influence at the University won’t be diminished.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

Like us on Facebook for features, guides and tips on upcoming events. Follow us on Twitter for links to other Copenhagen academia news stories. Sign up for the University Post weekly newsletter here.