Tighter Squeeze on Adult Education

3.51.51pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 31st Oct 2005

The Minister of State for Further Education (Bill Rammell MP) has written to Vincent Cable MP this week warning that in the next two year (2006/7 and 2007/8) there will be even deeper cuts in government funding for adult education and a big increase in fees. Vincent Cable and the college principal, Christina Conroy, present a petition to No 10 Downing Street on Tuesday protesting at the cuts.

Under the Government proposals more money will be put into 16-19 year olds, as in the Tertiary College and into adults involved in long, vocational courses. But there will be drastic cuts in funding for 'non vocational' courses. These will only survive if fees rise substantially, on average by 40% in the next two years.

Vincent Cable said: "Although we have known that these changes were on the way - and I held a parliamentary debate on this issue in May - the brutal reality is now being spelt out. I fear for the quality of adult education which we have enjoyed in this borough. The adult college has performed an invaluable service providing high quality, popular courses at reasonable cost for those who are trying to combine learning with bringing up a family, who want to continue learning after retirement and who see education in broader terms than usefulness to employers. Taking an axe to this service is philistine and short sighted."

Vincent Cable will be meeting college authorities shortly to discuss the implications of the cuts: "There is already a lot of local ill feeling over cuts and higher charges this financial year. We need to consider how best to fight damaging cuts and also prepare for more difficult times."