Student News Brief | Issue No. 01

Mayhem in School


A school shooting took place in the US state of Florida on Wednesday. The incident happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School located in Parkland. 17 fatalities have been confirmed so far and many more are being treated for injuries.
                                         
The suspected perpetrator has been arrested and is thought to be a former student of the school. In response to the school shooting, authorities have stated that counselling will be offered to students and teachers of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Commenting on the attack, President Trump tweeted: ‘No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school’.

This incident ranks among the deadliest shootings in US history, according to CBS NEWS.


Lecturers to Strike

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) have voted for industrial action. Strikes will be staged at 61 universities throughout Britain. According to the UCU website, ‘industrial action is required in the face of damaging proposals from the employers which would effectively destroy the USS pension scheme’.

In response, students have expressed mixed opinions on the planned strike action. 38.4% of students support the strike, while 38.4% oppose it, according to a poll published by The Times Higher Education. 23.2% stated they are unsure.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Students has expressed solidarity with members of UCU. However, some students have also expressed concerns about possible disruption to their studies as strikes could result in cancelled lectures and seminars.


Student Riots

University students have been arrested in the Pakistani province of Punjab. 24 students were arrested by the local police after riots broke out at Punjab University. The riots took place last month after multiple student groups clashed on Punjab University campuses.

This incident is claimed to have happened over a planned cultural event on the university campus.

In an attempt to deal with the riots, Punjab University has expelled 35 students. The suspected perpetrators are to be tried in court for public order offences, according to the local police. The clashes were also condemned by provincial and federal government ministers.


Re-introduce Compulsory Military Service, say the Old

58 years after its abolition, a majority of people support the re-introduction of military service for young people in the UK. In fact, 48% support the re-introduction, while 36% oppose it. This has been revealed by a recent YouGov survey.

Meanwhile, age was a key factor in this study. For example, 74% of pensioners support the re-introduction in contrast to only 10% of 18 to 24 years old.

While this was only an opinion poll in the UK, the prospects of re-introducing military service for young people seem more realistic in France. France’s President, Emmanuel Macron has promised to re-introduce military service.

Commenting on the YouGov poll, writer and actor David Schneider tweeted: ‘I say we should have a vote on compulsory military service for the over 65s’.


Extremism on University Campuses  

Extremism on British university campuses is a widespread issue. A report by The Centre for Social Cohesion has noted that it is a serious concern at 14 English universities, most of which are located in London.

Another report has suggested that a great number of perpetrators of terrorist attacks have been former leaders of student societies. Evidence has revealed that ‘a number of those involved in violent terrorism in recent years have been university graduates, and some of them former student leaders of Islamic student societies’, according to Universities UK.

Consequently, universities have been asked to do more to counter extremism on their campuses.


Student News Brief | Issue No. 01 Student News Brief | Issue No. 01 Reviewed by Unknown on 09:03 Rating: 5

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