No Education Cuts
No Privatisation
THIS FRIDAY, 15 March, the European Council, part of the European Union (EU), is meeting in Barcelona. It will discuss the future of our education system throughout Europe.
Amrita Huggins
To nobody’s surprise, students, school students and teachers aren’t invited. It’s the heads of state, including Blair, Brown and Straw that will speak on our behalf.
I don’t recall giving any mandate to New Labour backing the sell-off of our education institutions, nor to cut back on education spending and undermine financial support for students.
The government wants to set up an elitist, business-friendly education system, open only to those that can afford fees and a £12,000+ debt. Last month’s march against tuition fees and for a living grant shows students’ opposition to this.
Like the rest of the ‘free-market’ capitalist EU leaders, the Blairites promote privatisation, tuition fees and other cutbacks as an ‘excellent’ antidote to our failing education system.
Not content with wrecking the railways (and the lives of crash victims) and the NHS with sell-offs and PFI schemes, the pro-market politicians are encouraging the corporate take-over of schools, colleges and universities too.
Despite its fine words of “European unity” the EU, like the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund and the rest, is a capitalist institution. It is far more concerned with pleasing multinational big business than providing an adequate education system.
We need unity with the workers, students and young people of Europe and beyond to stop the attacks on welfare and services.
International Socialist Resistance (ISR) is planning protests and walkouts across the world on Friday 15 March to show the bosses and politicians that we won’t accept the decisions they make on our behalf, affecting our education and our lives.
ISR is an organisation open to everyone who opposes the inequality, degradation and exploitation inherent in capitalism and who wants to be involved with the fight to overthrow the system.
We are struggling for a socialist system, where workers, students and young people democratically control production and the running of society to meet the needs of all, not for the benefit of a rich elite.
FOR UP-to-the-minute news on the ISR day of action as it unfolds around the world go to: www.resistance.eu.com
