10th February 2016 4:00
By Blue Tutors
The government has announced plans to close further education colleges across the country. The National Union of Students has warned that thousands of students could be unable to access further education if the plans go ahead. The government has said that it intends to close or merge colleges in order the create fewer, larger colleges which it says will be more efficient. Student campaigns have pointed out that the plans will increase travel expenses for students, mean less choice and penalise the poor. Critics have warned that the policy could result in many students being unable to access further education.
The NUS has said that government cuts have put further education colleges into financial crisis, forcing closures and mergers. The impact is reduced choice of colleges and courses, staff job losses, larger classes and longer and more expensive journeys for students. The reduction in the number of courses available will hit students particularly hard, meaning that some have to travel a significant distance to find a college which offers the course they want to study. The NUS has warned that students with young children or other caring responsibilities are likely to find the cost of child care and travel prohibitive, meaning that many will not be able to access further education. They attacked the government for characterising the closures as a scheme to make stronger colleges, saying that the reality is that cuts are forcing closures and forcing the poorest out of education.
The union plans to publicise the review of the plan to ensure that FE college students have the opportunity to respond to the proposals and make their voices heard. This follows concerns that too few students are aware of the government’s plans and do not have an avenue to respond. As part of their response, the union will hold round table discussions with students from every FE college, encouraging students to express their needs and bring awareness of the reviews to local communities. The NUS response is supported by the Association of Colleges, who have said they want to encourage students to let the government know the importance of further education.