UK Students March Against Education Cuts

For more news visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com or
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision

In the UK, as of the start of January, the government has cut the Education Maintenance Allowance, as part of a wider program of spending cuts. The Allowance used to provide 16 to 18-year-olds, who continue with their education, with up to £30 pounds per week for living expenses. Students were on the streets in London at the weekend in their first large-scale demonstration of the year, protesting the EMA and other cuts to the education budget.

Students are marching through London to protest reductions in government spending on college and university level education. University tuition fees are set to increase from the current maximum of three-thousand pounds a year, up to a maximum of nine-thousand pounds a year, while EMAs or Education Maintenance Allowances may be cut altogether.

EMAs are means tested grants provided to school and college level students, which range from £10 a week to £30 a week. The EMA was introduced by the previous Labour government to help poorer students get through sixth form college, yet critics claim the money is more likely to be spend on alcohol and parties.

The student movement has been supported by various organizations. We spoke to Claire Laker-Mansfield, organizer of Youth Fight for Education, earlier in the week to talk about why the EMA is important to young people.

[Claire Laker-Mansfield, Organizer, Youth Fight for Education]:
"We are protesting because we want to save EMA. We think it's unfair that while bankers in the city are getting millions of pounds worth of bonuses, it's ordinary school and college students who are going to find themselves unable to continue with their education. We think the government should be funding the future of young people."

The government budget for university spending is set to be reduced. Nicholas Middleton, a teacher at the City & Guilds of London Art School, tells us how he feels about the proposed increase to tuition fees.

[Nicholas Middleton, Teacher, City & Guilds of London Art School]:
"I am here to support students. I am actually a teacher myself and some of the students I teach will be liable to pay these increased fees, and although the bill went through the House of Commons, I feel that it's incumbent on everyone to keep pressure on the coalition government."

"I kind of feel that it's a done deal and that it's going to happen, but at the same time I feel that it's everyone's personal responsibility to make the government aware that they are not happy with what's happening."

Unlike previous student protests that took place at the end of last year, this march was completely peaceful and few arrests were made. Students marched from the University of London Union near Russell Square to the sounds of drums and whistles, through Trafalgar Square, finishing at Parliament Square.

Jennifer Knotley, NTD News, London

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• NTD
• UK
• Students
• March
• London
• Youth Fight for Education
• Trafalgar Square
• Parliament Square

[AbortedBabysInMakeUp]

fight the cuts

[TheJimmyLemon]

Poor lazy student thickies, now they can't be paid to doss in school getting paid £30 a week for buying booze at the weekend, only to leave with shitty grades and work in the same minimum wage jobs they would have if they hadn't been paid EMA.

If your so poor you have to chose between school and working, £30 isn't going to be enough is it...