Socialist Appeal - Edinburgh School Students’ Union Report

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Edinburgh School Students’ Union Report

By Rachel Gibbs

Thursday, 29 January 2009

On the 21st of January 10 school students from all around Edinburgh attended the first meeting of the ESSU (Edinburgh School Students’ Union). The meeting was billed under the title “Why we need a Union” and was attended by students from three different high schools. A lead off on the purpose of a student union was then followed by an extremely productive discussion on the subject matter. This discussion covered various points on the purpose of a union; the issues effecting students; and the programme/aims of the union which included points on privatisation, private schools and Education Maintenance Allowances (a benefit which is paid to some Scottish students on a weekly basis from when they reach the age of 16). The discussion served as evidence that the students of Edinburgh are most certainly not, as school students are often portrayed, apathetic - they are ready to fight for a voice in an education system which is flawed and fails to serve the needs of its students.

Students have traditionally played a major role in the class struggle and our European counterparts continue to display this in the form of numerous walk outs and demonstrations as funding to the education system is cut the world over due to the economic crisis (particularly in Spain where in the region of 90% of school students are members of their Union-Sindicato de Estudiantes). Here in Edinburgh we have made a promising start and from this we can hope to build and fight to gain a voice in the running of our schools!

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