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Four students from south London were part of a group of school students who decided to hand-deliver a letter to the Secretary of State for Education, expressing their dissatisfaction at the way the climate crisis is covered in lessons. They didn’t expect a police escort. But that’s what they got.
The students met in Parliament Square on Saturday 2nd March to design a banner and signs saying Teach us the Truth and Students for Survival, which is the name of the newly-formed group they represent. They were approached by police and told them they were taking a letter to the Department for Education just around the corner.
‘A police car met us there’ said Mars (16) from Streatham, ‘and two police stayed with us while we took pictures and handed our letter to a security guard to take in’.
Students for Survival are a rapidly growing youth group from schools across England and Wales. Aside from their obvious passion and energy, they are deadly serious about their aims.
Alex, from Elephant and Castle, explained why he’s involved with Students for Survival: ‘Because my future is being destroyed by the inaction of adults. If they won’t act, we need to be taught the truth about how to deal with the consequences of their failure to protect our deteriorating planet. And our current education system is not delivering on that’.
Kitty (15) from Oxford, said: ‘We don’t blame our teachers, we blame the system of exams which is why we are taking our letter straight to the government’.
The students have set up a website on which they claim ‘The education system is failing a whole generation of children with its vague, inconsistent and often non-existent teaching of the climate and ecological crisis.’ They also point out that none of the injustices, politics and economics that fuel the system are taught because schools are told they are too political to discuss. Which leaves pupils uninformed and unskilled to face an unstable and dangerous future.
Tamara (16) from Barnet warned: ‘If the education system hides the truth from students then it’s not doing its job. We can’t put up with this any more’.
The students warned that more disruptive actions are to follow if they are not listened to. And they looked like they meant it.
Website: https://www.studentsforsurvival.org/
Instagram: #students4survival
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