GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES 24% FUNDING CUT for ADULT EDUCATION
At the end of last week, colleges received the shocking news that 24% of funding is to be cut from the adult funding budget.
1m adult places have already been lost since 2010 and now 400,000 more could go in 2015/16. Since 2009/10 109 lecturers jobs have already been lost from every college on average; the AoC say by 2020 there will be effectively no adult education left.
UCU Head Office have called the decision an ‘act of wilful vandalism’, read and share the UCU briefing document here This will decimate further education provision across England and put thousands of FE jobs at risk. The decision is a major offensive by the government and we need every branch to help build the campaign against the funding cuts.
What can you do?
* Firstly, a petition to save FE has already been launched and has received over 10,000 signatories since Friday. The petition is supported by all the FE unions, the AOC and the 157 group please sign it today and then circulate to everyone you know.
* Join and help build the 2 events that UCU London Region has called. Download the flyer advertising these 2 events Don’t let them destroy life long learning flyer
Wednesday 18th March: Lobby from 1pm. Committee room booked from 2pm. UCU London, as part of the lobby, has booked a room in Parliament where we will be inviting MPs and ministers to come along and hear our concerns over the impact of these cuts and to promote our Charter for FE.
Wednesday 25th at 6pm. Demonstration and march from City Lit College to Downing Street to hand in the Letter to David Cameron PM, calling on the government to reverse the cuts. This letter will be turned into a giant postcard to hand in.
UCU London have been in Contact with John McDonnell MP who will be putting forward an early day motion on the cuts.
* Organise lobbies and demos in your region. Send us details of your local branch or region’s lobbies and demonstrations and we will post them on our website
* Contact your local MP to get their support for our campaign to save Adult Education via https://www.writetothem.com/
Colleges need to be looking to make savings that don’t impact on the staff of colleges. FE recruitment costs colleges £5m per year. FE Job boards like http://www.collegejobsite.com allow colleges to make savings by allowing colleges to post vacancies for free. Perhaps you can find your next FE job at COLLEGEjobsite.com
madnesss
Cut the adult education budget, means exactly an act of educational vandalism. so if you looking for technology civilization how you could achieve that dream without educate your nation. Now at this time when millions of people are looking to improve their lives through gaining new qualification or the need to retrain to find a better chance for better job. Think carefully before acting.