The students protest

I was shocked this morning listening to people's views on the violence experienced yesterday. There were people saying that the students should not have used violence and it would not have helped their cause at all.

These people were not young, they were getting on for my age (63) or so they sounded and most large, important protests over the past forty years have attracted violent elements. They may or may not be students but there will always be a small percentage of these violent people in attendance it is a fact of life. It should not diminish the meaning of the campaign.

  I am not suggesting that this is the case but I remember in South America during a political campaign, one side bussed in undesirables from another area to "sweep the beaches and attack holiday makers and steal everything in sight to discredit the opposition.       

  There has been talk of cutting out the "questionable" courses e.g. media studies as they don't obviously lead to instant employment in that area. however graduates do not always follow the obvious course in their career. Life happens to people and their career may take a different course but they will have learned to learn and they will have the self confidence to play an important part in society.

When I studied fine art at the Medway College of Art I was lucky enough to be given a grant and the course was free. We were advised that we probably would not easily be able to make a living out of our skills. (I believe that mine was the last fine art course at that college) less than a year after I completed the course I received in the post a massive questionaire about 1cm thick basically asking what I had earned during that period. I ignored it.

I went on to spend a number of years as a portrait painter before going on to widen my knowledge of the world I changed my career and moved into marketing and business as these were my weakest skills my company paid for me to study these subjects partly helped by the fact that I had already spent four years studying. I went on to to have a very successful career finishing up working as a civil servant in communications before returning to fine art a few years ago. I believe that I have more than paid back what I was given as a student and I am sure that our current and hopefully future students  whatever the direction of their career will earn their keep and add to society rather than take from society.

I worry that this decision is a panic decision from governments accountants who do not have the vision to see the potential loss and costs to the country of making it difficult to obtain further education. There is a difference between making savings and just not spending(investing)