Global Week Of Action - For Free Emancipatory Education for All

Posted on November 9, 2009
Filed Under Actions, Articles, International struggles, Issues and Debate, News

The International Student Movement, responsible for the calls that have resulted in significant waves of direct action by students across Europe and indeed the world. Their latest week of action has been called for November 9-18; ENS believes student activists in the UK should respond.

The panel that will review the £3,000 cap on top up fees has now been launched; unsurprisingly, it is headed up by a quintessential corporate fat-cat (Lord Browne, the former chair of BP). The cross-party consensus that accepts education as a paid-for commodity shows no signs of being challenged from within mainstream politics, and even our own union - NUS - has sold us out by abandoning any vestiges of a commitment to free education and adopting a position in favour of a graduate tax. The task of asserting the politics of free education, and the idea that our universities and colleges should not be run as businesses-for-profit, will be left to grassroots student movement activists.

Already in 2009, the British student movement has shown it is prepared to confront university bosses; the wave of occupations in solidarity with the people of Gaza in January, February and March put the prospect of high-level direct actions back on the table. Many of these occupations also discussed more fundamental questions about how our universities are organised and in whose interests. With further cuts and attacks on the horizon, its time to extend those direct action tactics to basic, day-to-day issues about how our education is funded and organised.

Unfortunately, the activist left in the UK (including ENS) has been somewhat slow on the uptake in terms of responding to international calls for action. That may mean that in the majority of places, all that’s immediately possible is low-intensity actions such as stalls, leafleting or banner drops. But we should use the opportunity of this week to cohere groups of activists that can aim to coordinate more significant actions in the new year, leading up to and following on from the National Convention Against Fees and Cuts on January 23.

If activists on your campus have an action planned, email us at education.not.for.sale@gmail.com and we’ll add it to our list.

Hull

Rally for free education - 17.11
Organised by Hull Free Education Network

UCL

“What should student politics be for? The case for free education” - 16.11
A debate with the management on London Living Wage and selective dismissal at UCL - 19.11
A rally/”picnic” in the main quad - 20.11
Organised by UCL Students for Free Education, UCL Living Wage Campaign and other supporters of the National Convention Against Fees and Cuts

University of the Arts, London

Demonstration against cuts and redundancies - 16.11 at Chelsea College
Organised by LCC Oppose

University of Leeds

Meeting to plan ongoing campaigning against cuts - 18.11, 3pm at SU Old Bar, Liston Place