Wednesday 21 November 2012

More than 1000 students travel to London to protest education cuts - stv.tv

More than 1000 students from Scotland are expected to join their counterparts from around the UK to march against government austerity measures on Wednesday.

The National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland said hundreds of students from Scottish institutions will travel to London to join thousands of others from elsewhere in the country, as part of the demonstration #demo2012: Educate, Employ, Empower.

Campaigners want to see opportunities for graduates increased, youth unemployment lowered and "a properly-funded tertiary education system, accessible to all, in which all students are properly supported and encouraged".

Cuts by the UK Government are putting "the future of an entire generation at risk", the union said, and it highlighted the introduction of fees for those coming to study in Scotland from the rest of the UK as an area of concern.

NUS Scotland president Robin Parker said: "Today, thousands of students will make the long journey from many parts of Scotland to London for NUS's national demonstration.

"We're marching together with students from across the UK to make a stand against disastrous decisions by Westminster which are felt across the UK.

"While Holyrood can do more in many areas, you don't have to look far to see that some of the biggest impacts being felt by students can be traced back to Westminster.

"A crisis in youth unemployment, huge fees for rest of the UK students, colleges losing their ability to recruit international students and the continued attempts to turn UK education into a market.

"All of these are problems have been created by Westminster and need, ultimately, to be fixed by Westminster.

"We'll be marching beside students from across the UK to make the point to the Westminster Government that students and young people deserve better.

"They need to urgently reconsider their discredited austerity measures or risk consigning a generation to the scrapheap.

"They need to recognise that education and employment are the solution to a better economy, not something to put up barriers to, or shut people out of."

Students will march from Temple Place in central London to Kennington Park in south London, where a rally is due to take place.

Among those expected to speak at the demonstration are comedian Josie Long, columnist Owen Jones, singer Grace Petrie and a number of union leaders.

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