Since 1982 the European Students’Union (ESU) has fought for the rights of students across Europe. Never in its existence has the European Students’ Union witnessed such detrimental budgetary policy for the possibilities of current and future students. Furthermore, the Browne Review proposes even more extreme measures in the future that will reduce access to and progression within higher education, denying future generations of students the opportunity to fully contribute to our society and economy.
Across Europe we shall feel the impact of this irresponsible and cynical marketisation of education. We condem the government of the United Kingdom for systematically dismantling a once revered tradition of education and the repetitive attacks on students within the United Kingdom.
The attitude being displayed toward current and future students is sending a clear message to the rest of Europe.
In response, education should be valued as a public good and a public responsibility, creating more active citizens, better skilled workers, and a healthier, stronger and more competitive society. The proposed ways of funding education in the United Kingdom do not take these responsibilities into account at all.
It is high time that the decision makers in the United Kingdom start working on a more sustainable, fair and equitable educational system, which provides high quality education without any financial or other discriminatory threshold.