Agencies/London
Thousands of students and protesters marched in central London yesterday in a major demonstration backing free education in England and Wales.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused the government of “betraying” students as he addressed crowds demanding free education. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also threw his support behind the protesters by demanding the abolition of tuition fees in a statement read out at the rally.
Students braved the rain to march through central London, calling for fees to be scrapped, the return of maintenance grants and an end to student debt.
McDonnell told them: “Your generation has been betrayed by this government in increases to tuition fees, in scrapping the education maintenance allowance and cuts in education.
“Education is a gift from one generation to another, it is not a commodity to be bought and sold.”
As students waving placards cheered, McDonnell said education was “a basic human right” that must be protected.
In his message of support, Corbyn reiterated his proposals to scrap tuition fees and restore the maintenance grant.
He also urged students to “keep protesting, keep campaigning for justice”, adding: “Education is a right, not a privilege.”
Critics say axing the maintenance grant and replacing it with loans will burden the poorest students with thousands of pounds of extra debt and put many off higher education.
At present, full-time UK students from families with annual household incomes of £25,000 or less qualify for maintenance grants of £3,387 a year, with smaller amounts awarded according to income.
But under the changes, which come into force in the next academic year, these grants will be replaced by loans which students would start paying back when they earn more than £21,000 a year.
The cap on tuition fees was lifted under the coalition government, resulting in most universities raising the annual cost of higher education to about £9,000 a year.
A spokesman for the department for business, innovation and skills said: “This government is committed to ensuring everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so, regardless of their background.
“It has always been the case that student support provided by government is a contribution to living costs and institutions themselves offer a range of bursaries, scholarships and grants.
“Our system means that lack of finance should not be a barrier to participation and more funding is available to support living costs than ever before.”
Police scuffle with protesters during the annual demonstration against student fees outside the department for business, innovation and skills in cent
