TO HT THIRTY THOUSAND teachers are now unemployed according to the National Union of Teachers. The "solution' of the Department of Education and Science is to fail one in five of all teacher trainees in future.
That was the grim backdrop for the delegates who met at the National Union of Students Teacher Education Sector Conference in utmskirk last week. Many of we delegates were neither mandated nor elected. Only three hours of debate in three days were devoted to discussing the eight motions before the conference - factors which allowed the Krose Let Cominater executive to reassert their political control over the colleges, a control shaken by the mutant occupanons of me coleges term.
Thus the conference decided to "educate' students on the issues involved, to win support from MPs, and to pressure ocal 2u montes norto implementame cuts The high point for action will be the South East Region TUC week of action from 8-12 November, and a national demonstration to be held on 9 November. person Teacher Education National Com mittee.
The motion backed by the NCC centred on a clear refusal to subordinate the action of student teachers to gaining alliances with the trade union leaders and lefts". Calling Tor united acton Derween swuents am workers to force the implementation of a reduction in class sizes to 30, to provide better education and more jobs, they proposed the building of action committees of unemployed teachers which would also de mand full, free trade union rights for the jobless. Direct action, put firmly in this Iramework, can win real gains