Anger Over Government Attacks on 'Low Priority' Adult Education

1.48.07pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 21st Feb 2006

With the Adult College warning of severe funding cuts in the year ahead and announcing an end to fees below cost, Vincent Cable MP has strongly supported the College and attacked government ministers for relegating adult education "to the bottom of government priorities. A few months ago I warned, in a debate in Parliament, that the excellent quality of adult education could not be sustained with the sharp cuts in government funding then proposed. The warning has been fully born out. By putting all its further education funding into 16-18 year old training and vocational courses, the Government is totally over looking the enormous social and economic importance of adult education. This is educational vandalism."

The College has already announced that full fees are payable from enrolments after 13 February (subject to contribution from a bursary fund for students from a disadvantaged background).