By Paul Mackney
Action for ESOL’s campaign has won an important victory after hundreds of students, ESOL teachers, trade unionists and supporters took part in demonstrations, letter-writing, contacting MPs, and lobbying in parliament.
December 2011 saw a fantastic result for the Action for ESOL campaign, as the government announced that the huge U-Turn on their plans to make students on benefits pay for English (ESOL) classes would now stay until 2013. Many feared the concession were ‘just for one year’ but this has now been extended for a further year until 2013/14.
The initial plans changed funding eligibility for all adult learners on so-called ‘inactive’ benefits. This meant that up to 75% of students learning English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), mainly women from black and minority ethnic groups, would not have been able to afford to pay for English classes, as students on benefits such as income support would be asked to pay up to £1200 for a course. The fees would have been unaffordable for the vast majority of ESOL students and would have had a devastating impact on ESOL students and all of our communities.
The August U-turn was an important victory for Action for ESOL as, although the concessions did not apply to those on working tax credit, low-income workers not on benefits and ‘failed’ asylum seekers, most of the 250,000 adult places at risk could be saved.
This 2 year extension gives us time to regroup and take on the challenges down the road including fees, loans and changes wrought by the ‘universal benefit’ system due around 2015, all of which will facilitate privatisation and undermine adult and further education. We will seek to work with students and workers campaigning against cuts and privatisaion to the whole of education.
ESOL campaigner Mandy Brown said:
“Action for ESOL’s success is due to the hundreds of students, ESOL teachers, trade unionists and supporters who took part in the demonstrations and letter-writing, spoke to their MPs, lobbied in parliament and came on the marches and protests around the country.”
Read more about ESOL and Further Education:
ESOL manifesto : actionforesol.org
UCU FE paper – Jobs and Education, Regaining the Trust of Young People at http://bit.ly/sy6kOh
Good to Hear.
Netherless the plight of the poor and vulnerable needs taking up given
the ” Welfare Reform Bill ” Mayhem and the diabolical cost of daily
existence
fait accomplis and public in action are what needs together with the
Hypnosis of the media in keeping this Regime in Office
It is Morally Un Acceptable that Rail Chiefs should be getting Bonuses
when Rail Fares are a Testimony to the Greed of Capitalism
Profits for a Few and Suffering for the Many
National Public Railway Service is what we need for low cost rail fares
and good public service