Supporters of the Open University need 100,000 signatures in order to obtain a parliamentary debate about proposed cuts in the OU’s funding. The granting of parliamentary time for this debate is the best possible chance of preventing the cuts. It beats any amount of placard-waving, marching and shouting.
In an era of general cuts in higher education funding, the Open University assumes greater and greater importance. Its flexibility and accessibility are greater than that of any other university on Earth. In the breadth of its curriculum it competes with most bricks-and-mortar universities. OU podcasts on iTunes are breaking records for downloads across the globe (now over 40,000,000 and rising all the time). The United Kingdom needs the Open University to continue to grow in order to provide academically rigorous alternatives to other forms of higher education which are become more expensive and hence ascending above the reach of more and more of the population.
Please sign the e-petition:
The Petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22316
At the time of writing, it had reached just over 14,000. I have signed it. Let’s get to 100,000 as quickly as possible.
iamhyperlexic 