WILL YOU
stand up for
EDUCATION?
Fund our Future
National March & Rally
10 November 2010
Assemble 11.15am: Horse Guards Avenue
Westminster, London SW1A
Rally speakers: l Sally Hunt, UCU General Secretary
Aaron Porter, NUS President
l Frances O’Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary
l
5pm: after-demo event at the Bread and Roses Pub, Clapham, London SW4
(http://www.breadandrosespub.com/finding-us.aspx)
WHY WE ARE MARCHING
The challenges facing further and higher
education have never been greater
l The Coalition government looks set to make
unprecedented funding cuts across our sector –
25% or more across further, higher and adult
education.
l The Association of Colleges has warned that
more than 20,000 jobs could be lost over the
next four years and 800,000 learner places cut.
These cuts will affect one-third of all adult
learners.
l In higher education, university teaching and
research budgets are being slashed and there is
public discussion of universities closing or being
taken over by profit-seeking companies.
l The state is retreating from funding education
and asking students to pay more – the Browne
review may make England the most expensive
place to study within higher education in the
world, in spite of widespread public opposition
to making students pay more.
l Further and higher education create wealth for
our economy – estimated at over £60bn for the
UK. We cannot afford the economic and human
cost of weakening our education system.
l Other countries are not making this mistake –
The United States, France, Germany, India and
China are all investing in their education
systems, recognising that education is a driver
of economic recovery and social cohesion.
l Now is the time to strengthen it to meet the
demands of the future, not to burden the country
with a skills deficit and betray generations of
our people.
JOIN THE MARCH
l Join thousands of trade union members and
students on the ‘Fund our Future’ march and
rally on Wednesday 10 November.
l We must send a clear message to the Coalition
l In the UK, successive generations have pledged
to expand learning and opportunity to the one
that follows them. Now our political leaders are
preparing to reverse this advance and people
who benefited from free education are about to
close the door on the aspirations of hundreds of
thousands of young people.
government that these cuts must stop, for the
sake of our communities, our economic prosperity
and our future.
l It doesn’t matter whether you have never
attended a demonstration in your life or you are
a seasoned marcher.
NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND UP FOR EDUCATION