A 12-Year-Old Brit Stands Up To Say: Don't Raise College Tuition

Students all over Britain are organizing against proposed funding cuts for higher education which would lead to tuition hikes for college kids. And when we say students, we mean all kinds of students. Not just those at a university, but even those in elementary school.

"We'll never give in," says Tommy Jackman, a 12-year old London student who's participating in protests against tuition hikes.

Thousands of school children of all ages will be walking out of their classes in support of university students. And those college students are protesting too. British university, University College London, tried to get a court order to evict students who are leading a peaceful sit in at one of their campus buildings, but the judge denied it.

Even though students like Tommy are a ways from college, they understand that any cuts to education affect them too.

"We're told in school nothing is more important than education — we're not going to stop until we get what we need," he said.

His mom says he's not just being riled up by older kids. He really understands the impact of these cuts on his future.

"Tommy knows what is happening, and how it is going to affect his future so it's very good he is getting his point across," said Emma Jackman.

A study by the Universities and College Union said government funding cuts will seriously impact many British colleges and universities. Teaching budgets are expected to be cut as much as 80%. The cuts will mean huge rises in tuition for British students, as well as whole subjects and departments being cut, like the arts and humanities.

With so many countries passing new "austerity" measures, many might say these funding cuts are necessary. But when you cut funding to education, it also means cutting off your nation's future. British students like Tommy Jackman know they need to be well educated for themselves and their country to succeed. If a 12 year-old is smart enough to see that long-term, certainly politicians, whose job it is to look out for the interests of the nation, should be able to.

We at Change.org love to recognize exciting social justice campaigns where people ban together to create change in their communities. We stand with all the students of Britian and groups like Student Voice and hope that the government reconsiders cuts that would stifle the educational opportunities of its young people.

Photo credit: Andrew Moss