The news this week has been a bit scary, in terms of our education at least. All the major parties seem to be geared up to make attacks on school and university provision -
- “
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says he may be forced to scrap the party’s
flagship policy of abolishing university tuition fees in England and
Wales.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8264643.stm- Ed Balls, the school’s secretary, plans to cut £2billion government funding from schools! His plans include keeping teachers’ pay low, and semi-mergers of comprehensive schools into large, difficult to manage “federations”. With 22,337 state schools in England, this amounts to a cut of £90,000 per school.
- As if we wouldn’t already be paying enough, there’s more talk of raising university tuition fees.
But the fightback continues –
- The National Union of Teachers and the National Headteachers’ Union are gearing up for action to boycott primary school SATs tests, and recently held a day of action to highlight their concerns.
- The ongoing all-out lecturers’ strike at Tower Hamlets’ college is continuing into its third week. Students showed their support at a rally yesterday, and negotiations have finally started with the principal. More information on the strike.
- Victorious parents at Lewisham Bridge primary school have finished their months-long occupation of the school roof in protest at plans to demolish the school and replace it with an academy. The plans have now been dropped and the kids are back in school!
- Students at Park Downs College in Eastbourne have renewed their campaign against the merger of their college with the start of the new term.
via londonssu.org.uk
