02.05.1996

Dundee fight against school closures

On Tuesday night Linlathan High School, Dundee was the focus for protests against school closures in the city. A ‘consultation’ meeting of 150 angry parents, pupils, and teachers heard John Kemp, education convenor in the city and the director of education, attempt to justify the Labour Party’s programme of vandalism on Dundee’s education provision.

They failed to adequately answer the genuine concerns expressed by many in the audience. Their feeble attempts to disguise school closures as being conducted for sound educational reasons fooled nobody - everyone knows they are doing it purely to save money. Calls for the councillors to resign, and to stand for re-election against those fighting the cuts were met with loud approval from the floor, but dismissed by the councillors.

As the meeting ended, the Community against School Closures campaign announced it was occupying the school to protest against all the school closures in Dundee. Twenty-five parents, pupils and campaigners stayed, while many of the others attending the meeting expressed their support for this action. One parent declared: “I totally support this occupation. The councillors claim to listen to the community. That’s rubbish - their mind’s made up. It’s only through actions like this that we will be able to make it clear to them that we’re serious about saving our schools.”

The occupation ended at midnight with the protesters confident that their point had been made and hoped it would act as an incentive to parents from other schools to take such actions.

As the council’s ‘consultation’ exercise nears completion, the time for cosy discussions is well and truly over. The only way to change councillors’ minds is through action. Protests, leafleting, demonstrations, occupations and petitioning must all be used to stop these wreckers closing our schools.

The Labour Party insists it only has two choices: l) to close the schools, or 2) freeze teaching vacancies, sack teachers and reduce funding for books and equipment. This is drivel. There is another alternative, and that is to fight for proper funding for quality education. With one or two notable exceptions the Labour Party, when running local councils in England, Scotland or in Wales, has never defended or really fought to protect services for the working class. It has always rejected any demand for struggle due to its obsession with so-called respectability.

Join the demo on May 4
Attend the meetings at your local school
Don’t let the Labour council get away with this attack on education

Andy McLean