Following various concerns at the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) related to the running of the kitchen and restaurants, lecturing staff being required to work without prior consultation and the severe repercussions on moral, health and safety and the pedagogical aspects of the lecturers and students, the UPE will be issuing a series of directives effective 7th November 2022:

ITS members of the UPE are not to teach, lecture or do practical sessions when they are assigned mixed classes of different levels such as foundation and diploma classes. 

ITS members of the UPE are not to correct, assign marks on paper, orally or digitally to mixed classes of different levels such as foundation and diploma classes. 

ITS members of the UPE are not to prepare, cook or discuss any catering services that are unrelated to their curriculum. This means that they are not to prepare food for management meetings. 

ITS members of the UPE are to refrain from teaching in areas in the school that do not allow them to have a view of all students during practical sessions. This is to safeguard the health and safety of the students and lecturers. 

ITS members of the UPE are not to communicate, virtually, in writing or physically with management with regards to the above-mentioned issues, but are to directly inform the UPE to discuss on their behalf. 

These directives are in response to numerous issues which need to be urgently resolved including:

1.  The amalgamation of foundation students and those of diploma is unorthodox and creates a difficulty in teaching and coordinating and requires an immediate review.There is a clear mismatch in the knowledge, skills, and competences to execute different tasks given to both levels of students
2.  Blind spots in the kitchen preventing lecturers from having a clear view of all of the students, thus constituting a high risk level.

3. Some of the students at Foundation level after raising the query with the management have been found to need an LSE or learning coach. . 

4. Foundation students have no basic training and cannot be expected from the outset to prepare, cook and present a high end level of cuisine.5. The Management has copied the programme from the Paul Bocuse Institute, but the curriculum is not the same and not in line with the said institution. 

6. The ‘programme co-ordinator’ (?) amended some of the descriptions on the Runway and Voyage menus at Certificate level, without even realising that there was a scaffolding of learning outcomes included, some of which were amended some time ago. 

As always, the UPE is willing to consult and discuss the way forward for our members with the ITS management in good faith.