8th October 2007 (2)

Dear Sirs or Madman

This is the second of my daily epics. I am quite excited because if you go to Google and Google HEFCE Funding cuts you will see one that I prepared earlier; a letter that I have written to about 60 student unions telling them about the cuts and what it means for the future of ourselves, our children and grandchildren. What not in those words exactly, but it gives the picture, if you know what I mean.

Lifelong learning is not all about giving the money to one sector, indeed, we dont even know whether Mr Denham is proposing to give the money to the "first time buyers" of higher education that he has said that he might. And lifelong learning is not about first time buyers anyway, it is about those who have decided to make a commitment to educating themselves on a lifelong basis. To cast them out into the cold and all their aspirations, is pretty mean, to say the least.

Mr Denham has said that if people want to re-skill, then let them do it through their employers. But again, there is no real proof that employers will take on this burden. I have worked for employers that will do something for you but it is more than likely to be on the scale of Learn Direct to learn a second language; it is not likely to be on the scale of an entire re-skilling.

Let me give another example, say, for example, one has a degree in Physics and one cannot get a job with that. One has only managed to get a job as a supermarket assistant. One sees an Open University degree in Law and one might manage to get funding for it because one has a low income. Under the present HEFCE regulations, one can apply for it to the Open University because it is subsidised, so even if one did not get a personal grant, one might well be able to still get the course for £1550, or whatever the price is per anumn. Now the government are saying, no, you will have to pay the full rate, which could be £3000 or even more. People on low incomes are not going to be able to pay that. What you are doing is depriving society of people who could potentially be brilliant in another career. The government is putting an end to people's aspirations and in the other arm of their campaign, they are also attempting to decimate brilliant universities like the Open University and Brikbeck (plus all the other universities) who are doing so much for life-long learning.

So what I am saying is, fight the cuts now. Thank you.