Newham Barking and Dagenham Lib Dem Joined the Together for Education Rally

The Newham Barking and Dagenham Liberal Democrats Executive Member and Diversity Officer, Business Lecturer from University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Independent School Representative for NEU, Barking and Dagenham District Afzal Sayed Munna joined in Central London at the weekend at the ‘Together For Education’ event, alongside Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and parents, councillors and union activists fighting the government’s school budget cuts.

Over 400 teachers and campaigners filled Westminster Central Hall for the day-long event, hearing how the Conservative government must increase the education budget to provide the most basic of services for Special Education Needs children, Sixth Formers and Head Teachers.

The last 5 years have seen 52 schools on the Barking and Dagenham have their budgets slashed, and activists took to the lawn outside of the Houses of Parliament to highlight the number of schools who are impacted by the cuts across England. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Together for Education event in Westminster on Saturday that continuing an economic policy of austerity will lead to greater inequality, underfunding and “more and more underachievement,” especially for those from the poorest backgrounds or with special needs.

“It’s the involvement of the entire community in supporting our schools and our teachers that can make sure we can put the pressure on this government, in the Autumn Spending Statement, to refund the schools properly — so that we don’t go into next year with yet another cut in spending per head within our schools,” he said.

“Schools are at financial breaking point, teachers have been systematically undervalued, we have a great crisis in recruitment and retention, and teachers are having to spend their own money to ensure that children have the materials they need,” Mr Khan said.

Afzal Munna told the reporter that, still many parents are unaware about what could have been done and requested everyone to join the funding cuts campaign to make everyone’s voice heard loud. ‘’We must have to act now before it is too late to ensure our children’s are having a bright future and no one is kept out of education regardless the reason’’ he said.