School of art students to protest against expansion plans

THE Glasgow School of Art looks set to be hit by protests by students this week.

Organisers of the demonstration, to be held tomorrow, say too much attention is being paid to the brand of the art school, which they say is operating “like a financial services institution.”

The protests come in the wake of further expansion plans for the art school, which is undergoing further campus development, including a move into the former Stow College building.

Posters being circulated for the demonstration, which will be staged outside the art school’s new Reid Building, accuse the management of the art school of ignoring a series of concerns and issues.

Among these are the expansion in student numbers, the pressures on teaching staff, and a lack of sufficient workshop facilities.

The organisers said in a statement: “It is expanding year on year and increasing student tuition fees, yet the services, studio space and student/teacher ratio is not reflecting this expansion.

“We are fed up. What are we paying for?

“At no point should the longer term structural and operational decisions be conducted with the blatant disregard for the quality of education and provision of services to the existing students.”

A spokeswoman for the Glasgow School of Art said: “We encourage our students to be engaged and we have a number of more formal routes than the one chosen for raising concerns and for working constructively with us in both defining and implementing change which we believe will enhance the student experience.”