30/11/10…Protesting students explain their action

DEAR Editor, There will be student action in the centre of town (Oxford City) 30/11/10 – below is a statement from the organisers. We hope that you will print this statement online on behalf of the school students of Oxford.

Dear Schools of Oxford, The Oxford Joint Protest Group is a new alliance formed between various Oxfordshire schools that aims to encourage peaceful action against the harsh con-dem coalition education cuts and the rise in higher education fees. Today is the second national day of student action against new government plans and, with the support of the Oxfordshire anti-cuts alliance, we feel it is important for us to take this opportunity to take collective action and defend our right to education, as these issues will have massive implications on our future.

We are writing this letter to explain our reasons for protesting and clarify that we do not take action against our schools and appreciate the efforts that are made by them on our behalves in offering us the best educational opportunities possible and ask for their support on this peaceful day of action.

The cuts in education our generation are facing are aggressive, unjust and are affecting the students who need the support of their government the most. Education Maintenance Allowance is something that a large number of sixth form students at Oxford schools rely on in order to continue their education, and cuts in this benefit will force them into making tough decisions reconsidering their place in education. A rise in university fees is a step towards the decline of meritocracy, where those who obtain places do so on the basis that they can afford to pay.

We care about our education and believe that these cuts are damaging to the extent that we are willing to show our solidarity as a coalition of schools and make a statement today. We know that sacrificing lesson time is not ideal and we do not mean to be disrespectful to our teacher?s time and effort, however because the foreseeable damage to our education is so great this kind of action is the only way we feel we can get our voices heard.

We sincerely hope our schools are able to understand why our action is necessary and we cordially invite students from all Oxfordshire schools to join us in protest this afternoon and look forward to the creativity you put into producing your banners.

The Oxford Joint Protest Group
30/11/10