11 November 1999 Edition

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Support the students

Sinn Féin's Foyle Assembly member, Mary Nelis, has called on the public to support next week's rally organised by students at Belfast City Hall.

Urging the public to join the students on Wednesday 17 November she said: ``The students' campaign against the abolition of tuition fees and for the restoration of maintenance grants and benefits is one which should be supported by anyone genuinely interested in the educational welfare of our young people.

``Successive British governments, in their pursuit of a policy which prioritises the ability to pay for education, have hindered both the educational sector and students in their efforts to provide and avail of a service which should be automatically available as a right.

``The attack on students is indicative of the malaise which exists within the education sector and can be traced from the absence of adequate nursery provision, through to the fundamental flaws of the 11-Plus Transfer Test and onto the financial hardships which students face when moving into third-level education.

``There must be a radical shifting of priorities which properly reflect the needs of young people, and Sinn Féin fully supports the students in their campaign to highlight the economic injustices directed against students in third-level education.''


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