UK students to hold fresh protests against education reforms

British students are planning more protest rallies against the government’s planned reforms in the higher education.

According to a report by the Guardian, the student campaigners are expected to hold a day of action on November 26.

Meanwhile, a two-day strike will be held in February which is expected to see thousands of students walk out of lectures at campuses across the country.

The planned protests come as part of student campaigns aimed at voicing anger over the Tory government’s policies including the controversial austerity measures.

Public education under attack

The protests have been organized by the National Campaign against Fees and Cuts.

Critics say the reforms, known as the higher education green paper, will ultimately lead  to higher tuition fees, bureaucracy for staff,  and less autonomy for student unions.

“The reforms introduced by this Tory government represent the biggest attack on public education in decades. As a result of the further marketisation proposed in the higher education green paper and cuts to maintenance grants, thousands of students will be priced out of education and the whole structure of the sector will change, creating a multi-tier system and attacking poorer students and institutions,” Deborah Hermanns, from the National Campaign against Fees and Cuts was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

Controversial cuts

The British government has already unveiled cuts to the higher education, which students see as concerted “attacks” on the education.

Earlier this month, thousands of people rallied in central London to vent their anger at the planned reforms as well as the controversial spending cuts.

The rally saw thousands of British students taking to the streets, calling for an end to tuition fees.

The peaceful rally descended into violence after police intervened and clashed with protesters.

Several people were arrested during the confrontation.

'Further unrest'

Now, a London-based political commentator believes that the spending cuts to the education can ultimately give rise to violent protests in the near future.

“I think we will see further demonstrations. Under the last Conservative-Liberal coalition government, the attacks on the higher education contributed to the riots which shook London under that government. So, I think [the protests] could be fomenting unrest [with] the young people feeling that their future is being taken away from them as the consequence of these cuts,” Chris Bambery told Press TV’s UK Desk on Monday.

Back in 2010, massive violent student protests rocked the British capital. The largely student-led protests were also held in several other British cities, sparking unrest across the country.

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