Students in rural areas are being penalised to travel to college, an
MP▸ warned last night (link below.)
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144125&command=displayContent&sourceNode=232450&contentPK=19553449&folderPk=108202&pNodeId=251466Colin Breed, Liberal Democrat MP for South East Cornwall, was due to use a Commons debate to warn that local colleges are being forced to dip into education funds to pay for transport.
Mr Breed said:
"The Government wants all teenagers to have access to good education, but the time and effort some rural students take simply to get to school puts many Cornish students at a distinct disadvantage."
"It is patently unfair that a Cornish teenager can expect to pay around ^5 a day for the privilege of a two-hour, multiple-bus ride to school, whereas a similar student in London benefits from free and readily available public transport. The public transport infrastructure in Cornwall has seen chronic under-investment since privatisation."
"Unless the Government channels more money to the region, this is only going to get worse."