Around 400 adult learners and college lecturers descended on Parliament this week to demand their MPs seek a reversal of adult education funding cuts.
As part of its Save Adult Education campaign, organisers at the University and College Union (UCU) arranged a mass lobby for lecturers and learners to speak to MPs about the impact of the government’s ongoing reductions to adult skills funding.
They also urged MPs to protect courses and jobs at institutes for adult learning and provide the right to free English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses as part of a “social integration plan”.
In March, the Department for Education confirmed it was cutting non-devolved adult skills fund allocations by 6 per cent and devolved budgets by 3.3 per cent.
While the post-16 white paper pledged to review adult essential skills and closely integrate the adult skills fund and Jobcentres to get people into employment, UCU said adult funding at current levels was crippling colleges and stifling student demand.
Credit Sean Vernell
Richard McEwan, a maths lecturer at New City College and UCU London representative, was among the adult learning lobbyists.
Addressing the rally outside Parliament, he said: “You must know people in your communities who’ve tried to get [adult and community education] courses, but they’re too full, can’t get maths and English courses because the colleges are too full, can’t do the interesting stuff they want to learn because colleges don’t offer it anymore.
“We want further education to be funded properly, for proper terms and conditions, to mean you get the quality education you deserve.
“Some of you will be the next generation of teachers and teaching assistants and healthcare workers.
“You deserve fair pay. You deserve a house and a decent life, just like everyone else. That’s what we’re speaking up for.”
Cradle-to-grave education
Lecturers from across the country brought their adult learners to London to speak to their MPs and tell their stories in person.
Cohorts from adult education centres, such as Camden-based WM College, WEA and the City of Bristol College, submitted green cards to speak to their constituency MPs.
Multiple students told FE Week that their motivation to join the lobby was to tell their MPs that ESOL courses had allowed them to integrate in the UK.
One student said: “Doing my level 1 ESOL course allowed me to improve my English for doctor’s appointments and travelling around, but I can’t progress as my college has cut more courses.”
David Kaplan, maths tutor at WM College, said: “I teach Somali women and Bengali women in a community centre. If we had more courses that give access to the community, it would improve their lives, not just in terms of jobs and prospects, but in terms of mental health, socialising and getting to know other people.
“I also teach all ages from 19 all the way up to 85.”
Responding to the cuts, Kaplan said adult education was an “easy cut to make”.
“When the government chooses to find the money, they find it,” he added. “They found it for defence spending, and they need to find it for adult education.”
MPs attending the mass lobby to hear students speak included Tulip Siddiq and Jeremy Corbyn.
Corbyn told a packed Commons committee room: “The priority is investment in people. That means giving young people a chance to go cost-free throughout college and university life, and also for colleges to be properly funded so the teaching staff are not living lives that are so insecure.”
‘They’re politicising ESOL’
The government is tightening up English language standards as part of its immigration crackdown, which includes a new requirement for migrants on work visas to speak A Level-standard English.
But it does not have an England-wide policy on statutory access to ESOL courses, meaning it is down to local councils and mayors to decide how much provision they want to offer, and who can participate.
Last month, Reform UK mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Andrea Jenkyns announced her intention to divert £1 million from English for speakers of other languages courses towards a more “inclusive” scheme “which actually goes to the Lincolnshire people”.
While Jenkyns’ ambitions have not yet been replicated by other Reform UK controlled areas, as an FE Week investigation recently found, UCU members fear that ESOL provision is being “politicised”.
“Everyone has the right to speak English, everyone has the right to be in this country and to contribute,” McEwan said.
“Everyone has the right to work, whether an asylum seeker or not.”
He added: “They’re politicising ESOL.”
Adult education avengers assemble
Campaigners are calling for £2.2 billion per year of targeted investment into adult education, which the Learning and Work Institute has said it would boost the economy by £22 billion.
UCU also joined forces with HOLEX, WEA, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, the Learning and Work Institute, Right2Learn and the Open University to write to the chancellor ahead of next week’s budget.
In addition to calling for a restoration of adult education spending to 2010 levels, the coalition also demanded dedicated community education funding for disadvantaged groups and targeted support for older and unemployed adults.
Meanwhile, the Association of Colleges launched its own Adult Learning Pays campaign at its annual conference week, also calling for investment.
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