Meeting with Nick Clegg
Friday 15 October 2010
We told Nick Clegg that our reason for meeting him was to express our deep concern for the future of adult education both in Sheffield and across the country, and to urge him, as our MP and as Deputy PM, to seek to defend adult education in the face of expected cuts to be announced next week.
We explained how crucial this was in the current local and national context. Massive cuts in funding for post-19 FE, as well as in local authority lifelong learning budgets, had led to swingeing losses to adult learning provision. In Sheffield, this had resulted in widespread withdrawal of adult education programmes at Sheffield College and Longley Park as well as the dismantling of the council’s lifelong learning and skills team. Nationally, over 1.5 million fewer people were doing adult education courses than in 2006.
We emphasised the wide benefits of adult learning. Student Margaret Davies described the personal value of WEA courses to her life, in terms of social interaction as well as intellectual stimulus. She also recognised the health benefits of learning to herself and her classmates. She welcomed the fact that people’s contributions through the tax system provided resources for adult learning and felt that this should continue to be the case.
We described the experience of another learner who, after years of isolation and debilitating depression, had ‘been given his life back’ after taking a WEA archaeology course had led to A levels and then to his embarking on a part-time degree. NC was aware of the ‘huge’ positive impact adult education had had on Vince Cable’s mother, who had been suffering in similar circumstances.
Nick Clegg, as was clear from his announcement today regarding the ‘pupil premium’, has a deep commitment to education. He said that he fully recognised the importance of adult education, but also said that the central focus in the spending round would be on 16-19 provision: the so-called ‘lost generation.’ Our contention is that there are people from all generations who have been failed by the education system.
I stressed that the benefits of adult learning cut across society, citing evidence that children learn more successfully in households where adults are involved in education themselves. Putting money into supporting disadvantaged children at school is more effective when parents are engaged in learning.
Matt Livingstone described the work the WEA had been doing in citizenship, encouraging people to become involved in local political decision-making. Unsurprisingly, given the Lib Dems’ interest in political reform, NC welcomed this, and indicated a willingness to support further activity in the future.
In terms of funding, however, the message was that overall department budgets were already fixed. NC stressed that the cuts that would be announced next week were to be spread over the whole, 4-year, period of the spending round, and that the sense that we were all ‘going to fall off a cliff’ was exaggeration. However, at this stage, he said, our lobbying should focus on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and to persuade them to provide adequate funding for adult education.
He agreed to write to Vince Cable (the Business Secretary) to make him aware of our concerns. He had received letters from WEA National Secretary Richard Bolsin and Chair of WEA Sheffield Branch, Elizabeth Naylor, and we made him aware that a national campaign in support of adult learning was gathering pace, with Frank Dobson MP putting down an Early Day Motion in Parliament in the next few days and other initiatives such as CALL (the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning).
It should be stressed that the meeting with NC was only one of a great number of activities being organised by WEA staff and learners, who are writing to MPs, signing petitions, making campaign DVDs (we presented two of them to NC) and using media opportunities to raise awareness of the value of adult learning.
If you care about the future of adult education and the Government's Spending review, sign the e-petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/adulted/petition.html
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