FREE
EDUCATION NOW! Education should be a right, There is an alternative not a privilege The Green Party sees education as a Education benefits the whole of society, yet students are suffering under continued attacks on our education system: • Trebling of university tuition fees. • Continued cuts to student support grants. • Rising costs of living for students. • Cuts to university funding leading to loss of courses. Many students have to take part time jobs to finance their continuing education. They will be weighed down by debt for decades.
public service open to all. We would: • Abolish all tuition fees. • Increase student grants to cover costs of living. • Cut accommodation costs by investing in decent, affordable social housing and regulating landlords. • Ensure that universities are sufficiently funded and accessible to all, including providing for disabled students and those with children. The Greens say: A high quality system of higher education benefits all of society. It should be publicly funded and free to all – as in Scotland and many countries in Europe. The Green Party believes that education should be a life-long process of learning. We would ensure that further education is accessible to people of all ages, offering a wide range of practical, vocational and academic courses and qualifications. This would include a minimum requirement to provide free education for adults for essential life skills and qualifications to help gain employment.
Education is an investment not a cost The cuts are not the answer! The government has its priorities wrong. It sees public services as a means to make a profit for the rich and powerful rather than a means to serve the common good. Cuts and austerity have increased the levels of inequality rampant in our society, while targeting the most vulnerable.
How will we pay for social services and free education? Education can be free; it is simply a matter of priorities. Greens would: • Introduce a fair wealth tax on the richest 1%. • Collect billions in unpaid tax. • Close tax loopholes that cost the Treasury tens of billions a year.
The Green Party belives it is essential to ensure the public services we depend on are properly funded, as a way of working towards a fairer society.
• Introduce a Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions. • Scrap the nuclear weapon programme. Scrapping Trident alone would pay for all tuition fees for the next 30 years!
“Access to education is a fundamental right for us all. Free education ensures that everybody has the opportunity, regardless of background, to pursue their interests and ambitions at a higher level. What is so beautiful about free education is that everybody can choose the subjects they want and love – it would reshape the current system which is facing cuts, closures and staff pressure. How could being thousands of pounds in debt ever encourage young people to go into further education? We need free education at all levels, so that everybody has the opportunity to follow the path that is right for them.”
CLIFFORD FLEMING YOUNG GREENS CO-CHAIR
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