Many students dread receiving a grade on a test they didn't have time to study for, or a paper they may have had no interest in writing. Or perhaps you were up studying all night for a week, but Chemistry still flies over your head.

But what would happen if you were denied your grades: would you want them then?

Students from more than 20 university student unions are protesting, and threatening to sue if they continue to have their work ignored as a result of a teachers' strike.

The lecturers' union Natfhe and the AUT are not marking assessments or setting exams until demands for a 20% pay rise over three years are met by the University and Colleges Employers Association.

The NUS has given its full support to the lecturers' decision, but many student unions are outraged that graduations could be delayed if the boycott continues.


While it is true that academic professionals are often underpaid, is this fair to the students? Could you imagine not being able to graduate as a result of a payment dispute?

Students should be the first priority in higher education: that's who the schools are for, after all. What do you think? Will the professors' demands be worth the struggle, or are students bearing the brunt of it all?