On April 1 hundreds of Dundee school students took part in a protest and walkout against the SNP councils city campus proposals and £4 million education cuts. This was organised by the Students Defend Dundee Schools campaign who tried to present the education convenor with a petition. However no council officials were present at Tayside House on friday afternoon to meet the protesting school students. Liberal Democrat Councillor Fraser Mcpherson has called in the local press and on his blog for the council to meet school students see http://www.dundeewestend.com/2011/04/dundee-pupils-should-be-listened-to-and.html.
While Students Defending Dundee Schools are pleased that at least one of the councillors believes we have the right to be heard we are concerned that he is using our campaign for political point scoring.
Wayne Scott Harris Academy representative said " Student’s Defending Dundee Schools were glad to see that at least one councillor believes that our concerns regarding education cuts and the city campus should be listened to by the council. Student’s Defending Dundee Schools is a campaign consisting of school students who are fighting education cuts in this city. All secondary school pupils who oppose cuts and the city campus can get involved in the campaign. Students Defending Dundee Schools organised the 180 strong protest and walkout from Harris against education cuts and the city campus on the 1st of April.
Therefore we find it disappointing that Cllr Macpherson before going to the press did not contact anyone from Students Defending Dundee Schools with regards to writing a letter to the education department about a meeting with pupil representatives.
We do intend on having a meeting with council officials and the SNP administration as soon as we can, however we want a full public consultation with all pupils, teachers and teaching unions in all schools and not just a backroom discussion.
If there were to be a meeting between the council and school student representatives, we would also not wish for an opposition spokesperson to be present at such a meeting unless they fully supported the demand of Student’s Defending Dundee Schools for no cuts to education whatsoever in Dundee and complete opposition to the city campus.
Cllr Macpherson has publicly expressed concerns about the city campus, and we are glad that he has done this. However, he voted at the council’s budget setting meeting for a motion (as did Labour) that still proposed £3.5 million of cuts to education in Dundee. This would devastate education in the city. Many school students also feel that they can place no trust in Liberal Democrat politicians. The Lib Dems since entering the coalition government in Westminster have consistently attacked education. Their government ministers have supported raising tuition fees to £9000 a year, abolishing Education Maintenance Allowance and making massive education cuts in England. They have been no friend of students. We hope that Cllr Macpherson’s concerns are genuine and that he is not doing this to score points against opposition parties. With the Scottish Parliamentary Elections looming and Lib Dem support falling, students would be unhappy if they were to find out that politicians are jumping on our campaign to try and win votes when the reality is that they would still make draconian cuts to our education."
Therefore we find it disappointing that Cllr Macpherson before going to the press did not contact anyone from Students Defending Dundee Schools with regards to writing a letter to the education department about a meeting with pupil representatives.
We do intend on having a meeting with council officials and the SNP administration as soon as we can, however we want a full public consultation with all pupils, teachers and teaching unions in all schools and not just a backroom discussion.
If there were to be a meeting between the council and school student representatives, we would also not wish for an opposition spokesperson to be present at such a meeting unless they fully supported the demand of Student’s Defending Dundee Schools for no cuts to education whatsoever in Dundee and complete opposition to the city campus.
Cllr Macpherson has publicly expressed concerns about the city campus, and we are glad that he has done this. However, he voted at the council’s budget setting meeting for a motion (as did Labour) that still proposed £3.5 million of cuts to education in Dundee. This would devastate education in the city. Many school students also feel that they can place no trust in Liberal Democrat politicians. The Lib Dems since entering the coalition government in Westminster have consistently attacked education. Their government ministers have supported raising tuition fees to £9000 a year, abolishing Education Maintenance Allowance and making massive education cuts in England. They have been no friend of students. We hope that Cllr Macpherson’s concerns are genuine and that he is not doing this to score points against opposition parties. With the Scottish Parliamentary Elections looming and Lib Dem support falling, students would be unhappy if they were to find out that politicians are jumping on our campaign to try and win votes when the reality is that they would still make draconian cuts to our education."
Wayne Scott Harris representative Students Defending Dundee Schools
Contact number 07505595235
defenddundeeschools@gmail.com
Contact number 07505595235
defenddundeeschools@gmail.com
You are quite right to be suspicious of politicians claiming to be on your side. I mean, the Liberal Democrats! They are the party whose lies about tuition fees and EMA brought about the whole wave of protests last year. I have been scanning all the election material coming through the door and all of it is plain dishonest in that the cuts are not mentioned at all. Yet we all know the true scale of the cuts will not be revealed until after the election on 5 May. So who can we trust? We say Go out to the People! No Cuts- Full Stop! That is where a movement against the cuts has to be begun and developed. We will be out on the streets from Friday through to Saturday to build for the launch of the new pamphlet from Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! We have a launch meeting on Saturday 30 April at 3pm in the Conference Room, Wellgate Library. We will be looking at the lessons emerging so far from the anti-cuts struggles: Who will fight? Who will defend the right to protest? Why Cuts? Students Defending Dundee Schools are invited to this event to give us their experiences and views. All Welcome.
ReplyDeleteJoin No Cuts- Full Stop! On Dundee's May Day March. Friday 29 April. Meet Hilltown Park, 11.00am.
Join the No Cuts- Full Stop! Speak Out Against the Cuts, 12-2pm, Saturday 30 April. Murraygate, Dundee. Open Mic.
Dundee Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!