In my lifetime, it has always felt as if the government has served old people at the expense of young people. The most notable example during the Conservatives’ time in office was the huge increase in university tuition fees to £9,000, while older voters had the security of the pension triple lock and no shortage of polices that worked in their favour. To add insult to injury, Rishi Sunak proposed during the last election campaign that national service should be compulsory for all 18-year-olds. We consistently seem to be either forgotten or punished.
This government must turn things around – and it can start by reintroducing some form of free movement for 18- to 30-year-olds across Europe. It is a plan the government is apparently considering but has publicly denied it supports. It should know that implementing it would offer a beacon of light at a time of darkness for many young people in the UK.
After the UK’s exit from the EU, the Erasmus+ programme was cancelled. The programme was a university exchange which gave young people the opportunity to study abroad – in 2018 alone, nearly 10,000 British students spent at least two months and up to a year at EU universities as part of their studies. This scheme funded travel and subsistence costs for participating students, meaning it was accessible to everyone who wished to gain the invaluable experience of living and studying abroad.
Despite reported interest on the European side in restarting the Erasmus program, Starmer’s government this week said it has no plans to do so – snubbing both its European partners and young people across the UK. The alternative offered is the Tory government’s Turing scheme, launched in 2021, which is hardly a replacement. Unlike Erasmus, which was “pre-financed” – the beneficiary institution was given a grant to finance the placement – the Turing scheme requires a placement to be confirmed prior to the funding application approval. That means that often some of the costs have to be met by the student upfront, as the funding isn’t released until the placement starts. While this is possible for students who can afford these high costs, or ask their parents to pay for them, it’s out of the question for disadvantaged students – who arguably need this once in a lifetime experience the most.
The ability to learn and familiarise yourself with another language is arguably needed more than ever, given there has been a notable decline in students studying foreign languages in English schools past the age of 14. In my primary school, I had some infrequent Spanish lessons. After progressing to secondary school, we started from scratch, relearning the phrases I’d already been taught, while pupils from different primary schools desperately tried to unlearn the French or German that they’d been taught prior to their now compulsory Spanish lessons.
It is obvious that there is a clear lack of a national strategy that joins up students’ learning in primary school with what they are taught at secondary: 56% of primary schools report they have no contact with neighbouring secondary schools in relation to language learning. This weakness in the British education system shows how the reintroduction of free movement would be a great thing for students such as myself, who have found language lessons in school so disheartening. By being exposed to a world outside the narrow walls of England, an enthusiasm for learning can be developed, encouraging students to learn a language because they love it – not because their school says they have to.
The need for engagement with other cultures has become all the more vital after the racist Islamophobic riots that broke out across the UK, which were fuelled by an inability to accept people from different ethnicities and cultures. Arguably, this nativism could be avoided if people were given the opportunity to meet and engage with people from different backgrounds at an early age. I’m from Cornwall, where young people suffer as a consequence of the cost of living crisis and geographical disconnection – and where the area is predominantly white. Opportunities to immerse ourselves in a different culture would help counter prejudice and provide hope to kids who really need it. The reintroduction of free movement could also help to offset some of the Euroscepticism ofNigel Farage and his new political vehicle, Reform UK.
A scheme such as free movement for 18- to 30-year-olds, something which finally puts young people first, is desperately needed to allow students to flourish. By dedicating resources and creating policy with the young people of this country in mind, the government could provide hope, and create a domino effect of positive change for the younger generations – who need investment and care more than ever.
Beth Riding is an A-level student in Cornwall. She won the Guardian Foundation’s 2024 Hugo Young award in the 16-18 category
