A-level results day protest in York city centre today

Young Socialists groups in Yorkshire will be taking part in a national day of action by holding activities in Barnsley at 1pm by the Market Hall, Hull at 4.30pm in Victoria Square and York at 1pm on Coney Street.

Organiser Theo Sharieff said: “The government is trying to make young people as a whole, but especially working class youth, pay a Covid penalty on our futures. Young people today are being forced to get into thousands of pounds of debt for university courses which are overcrowded and underfunded, even before the coronavirus crisis. We demand that universities are run in the interest of students and society – not big business. It looks to us like the lowering of grades will funnel working class students into bargain basement courses for which they’ll rack up a lifetime of debt. We demand that every course is of high quality, free, taught by well-paid staff and with a decent job at the end of it.

“We are facing mass youth unemployment, bogus training schemes and poverty pay. That’s what is ahead of us unless we organise and fight. That’s why we in Young Socialists have called over 20 actions in 13 towns and cities.“

A-level student Oisin Mulholland who is expecting his results on Thursday says: “These measures are going to hit working class students the hardest. It has been predicted that nearly 40% of A Level grades will be downgraded. This just highlights the unfairness already present in the education system. We want decent and quality university places and courses that young people want and need. We have called for action to say ‘don’t fail the class of covid’. We want any young people angry at being thrown on the scrapheap while those at the top are getting richer to join with us and fight back.”