So, the decision to quit Erasmus EU student exchange scheme has attracted criticism from Europe, which the British press don't seem to have covered. Former Swedish PM Carl Bild tweets:
The decision to leave Erasmus is in all probability a deliberate political move to limit the links between young people in the UK and other European countries. It aims to cut loose from the rest of Europe for the future as well.
https://twitter.com/carlbildt/status/1342786164743413765?s=20
Nicola Sturgeon has called it 'cultural vandalism':
There will be lots of focus - rightly - on the economic costs of Brexit. But ending UK participation in Erasmus - an initiative that has expanded opportunities and horizons for so many young people - is cultural vandalism by the UK government.
https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1342135543652614144?s=20
The
GUARDIAN, way back in March pointed out that leaving ERASMUS would blow a hole in the economy:
Quitting the EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme would “blow a hole” in the UK’s economy, taking away income of £243m a year and depriving 17,000 British young people of valuable work experience, according to a group of education and business leaders.
And, remember, Boris Johnson reassured the House of Commons that there was no intention of leaving Erasmus. So, he has lied to the people of Great Britain once again, and appears once again to have got away with it. There was once a time being caught lying to the house, having no end of mistresses, never turning up to important meetings (such as for example, COBRA or SAGE) would have meant calls to resign or a VONC.
Gavin Williamson, Education Secretary, responsible for the A-L and GCSE shambles, as well as threatening to sue any school which closed due to a Covid19 outbreak, but then the government introducing Tier 4 lockdown anyway, has hastily rushed out a webpage extolling the benefits of the already existent Turing scheme. He is promising to send off students from the UK all over the world as of Autumn 2021. I for one am sceptical he will achieve the target stated over and beyond what is already in place. What is already in place is a post-graduate scheme for people to pursue doctorates at overseas universities and I'm sure all of us know someone who went to Rutgers, MIT or UCLA, etc., on postgrad research, and maybe even stayed there.
But that is not the same as ERASMUS, which includes vocational courses, as well as undergraduate ones. Students from the EU come to the UK as well as UK students going to Europe. The Turing scheme doesn't cover mutual exchange of students from overseas coming to the UK, which has some of the best postgrad universities in Europe. OK so that is a loss for 'foreigners' much hated by the Brexiteers, but it also spites the UK working classes, or those that simply can't afford to study as far afield as the USA or Australia, but could afford France or Italy for a year. I know several young Finns who have had the pleasure of studying in the UK recently for full degrees.
The government promised ERASMUS would not be affected so they sold their promise of 'an oven ready' deal on yet another lie.
According to surveys, just over 70% of 18-24 year olds in the EU were in favor of staying in the EU.
In a survey conducted in 2018, an average of 82% of young adults said they would support staying in the EU if there was a second referendum on Brexit.
Bildt, who currently chairs the European Council of Foreign Relations incubator, also accuses the British prime minister of a “blatant lie”.
Johnson assured British MPs earlier this year that Brexit would not threaten Britain’s participation in the Erasmus program.
ILTA-SANOMAT [google translate]
