Fight Massive Class Sizes at Monash – Take Action Now!
Join the campaign to fight for teacher-student ratios of 1:16, improvement to quality of education, and better pay and conditions for staff.
Whats on
EDUCATION ACTION CAMPAIGN: Join the campaign by coming to the meeting! TODAY 2pm, Learning Teaching Building room 303
MEETING: Could temu trump actually win the Australian elections?, 3pm Thu 3rd April, H6 Menzies Building
PROTEST: Stop Trump: Fight the Far Right, 1pm, Sat 5th April, State Library
The Monash Socialist Club along with other student activists are supporting a new education campaign against massive class sizes. As of this year, Monash University has scrapped the 25 student per tutorial class limit. This has manifested as the newly coined “workshops”, the university’s pseudonym for what are really multiple tutorials combined into one singular class with as many as 60 or 70 students in each. This is not due to a lack of available teachers or money but a direct consequence of Monash Universities disregard for education standards for students and prioritisation of profits.
University fees are only climbing while potential to learn diminishes. We’ve heard from the student body of experiences in which classes have dramatically grown in size, plummeting student’s ability to learn constructively and communicate with their tutors.
We need more activists like you to join the fight for teacher-student ratios of 1:16, improvement to quality of education, and better pay and conditions for staff.
Why This Campaign Matters
At Monash, we are seeing the quality of our education is deteriorating and it is time to turn it around. Monash University’s current practices regarding class sizes are incompatible with students’ ability to access high-quality education. As the focus of the university is instead to maximise profits. This is evident in:
Overcrowded Classes: As class sizes grow, the workload on tutors becomes unsustainable, which results in reduced opportunities for active learning and personal engagement. Teachers have been warned to expect classes consisting of as many as 90 students and informed they will need to “teach to scale.”
Increasing Fees: Students are paying higher fees each year, but the education they receive continues to suffer. In 1990, when the Hawke Labor government introduced the Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS), all degrees were priced at a flat fee of $1,800 per year. Since then the average cost of a bachelor degree has increased fourfold and students studying a bachelor of arts have seen their degrees increase by over 7 times in that same period of time. Notably, Monash University’s Vice-Chancellor, Sharon Pickering, earns a salary of over $1 million.
A Deteriorating Learning Experience: These changes are not only impacting the quality of education but also disengaging students from their studies and overall university experience.
Our Demands
We are demanding that Monash:
Enforce a Standard 1:16 Teacher-to-Student Ratio: Every tutorial and workshop should maintain this ratio to promote better engagement and support. The university previously had a cap ratio of 1:25, but this requirement was abolished last year, contributing to the current issues.
Bring Back Live Lecture Options for ALL Degrees: It is essential for students to have access to lectures both in real-time and as recordings, prioritising accessibility and ensuring students can fully engage with their education.
Pay Staff for ALL Hours Worked: We demand that Monash pay teaching staff for all hours worked and stop relying on insecure work (casual and part-time contracts) in line with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) demands.
So what can you do?
Education Action Group Meeting
Attend the Education Action Group Meeting! Learn about what we are doing and how you can create change for the betterment of tertiary education.
TODAY 1st of April @ 2PM, Location: Room 303, LTB
Fill out the Survey of Learning Conditions 2025
Conducted by: The MSA Education Office (Public Affairs). If you are a staff or student at Monash University let us know some of your experiences, and leave your contact details if you'd like us to get in touch!
