Axing languages: ‘an act of barbarism’

The Workers Party has criticised as ‘an act of barbarism’ the announcement by Ulster University that it is to axe its modern languages department at the Coleraine campus.

‘Not only has the Northern Ireland Executive failed to prioritise and invest in higher education but it is now set on a course which will force thousands of young people to pursue their studies outside of Northern Ireland’.

‘At the same time as the Executive pins all our economic hopes on attracting foreign direct investment, it withdraws funding from the very courses and skills which employers will expect to find amongst a young educated workforce’.

‘The short sightedness of the Executive’s funding cuts to higher education are compounded by the argument that there is no money in the budget to fund these courses while at the same time it plans to lower corporation tax at an estimated cost of £300 million’

‘The Executive is clearly signalling that tax breaks for the rich are  a higher priority than an educated and multi-lingual workforce’