A protest for A-Level results day is being held in York city centre today

A protest for A-Level results is being held today, on results day for A-Level students, in York city centre.

There is a national day of action because of a 40 per cent downgrade in A-Level grades by exam regulator Ofqual, which was announced yesterday.

Yorkshire Young Socialists groups are taking part in a national day of action by holding activities across Yorkshire, affecting York’s Coney Street.

The York Press spoke to organiser Theo Sharieff who explained how “the government is trying to make young people as a whole, but especially working class youth, pay a Covid penalty on [their] futures.”

Sharieff then went on to explain that the protesters “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.”

Sharieff expressed his concern for young people being forced into thousands of pounds worth of debt, only to be placed on to overcrowded and underfunded university courses which was the case before the coronavirus crisis.

The York Press also spoke to A-level student Oisin Mulholland who is expecting to receive his A-level results today. He stated that: “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.”

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