Former London mayor Ken Livingstone

• I WOKE up to the news that Ken Livingstone has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

I feel really sad about this, especially due to the impact he made on my life when he was leader of the Greater London Council.

The Inner London Education Authority, run by GLC members, made it possible for me to get an education, which would be impossible now, due entirely to unaffordability.

Under ILEA for a £1 registration fee, anyone on low wage or unemployed could do an unlimited amount of adult education courses.

I attended the Mary Ward Centre and did life drawing, print-making and sculpture under the fantastic guidance of Inger Bassingthwaighte and Paul Badger.

These courses which, unlike today, were uncredited (and all the better for that) enabled me to go to Central Saint Martins to study a degree in fine art, painting.

At the same time I studied philosophy under the great Pam Jenks at City Lit and took an access course in humanities care of Birkbeck’s extra mural department.

I ended up going to Central Saint Martins by day and studying a bachelors in philosophy at Birkbeck by night.

Later on I did a masters degree and a PhD, worked briefly as a portrait painter and as a lecturer in philosophy, publishing articles and books and gaining the confidence I had never had when I left school at 16 with 2 O-levels.

It was Ken Livingstone who introduced this policy, proving, if nothing else, that political will and insight can change lives!

The courses at the Mary Ward Centre and the City Lit were always full, and many of those attending were, like me, unemployed or on sickness benefit.

Today, even when those classes do exist, they are unaffordable for most unemployed people with one term class being over £100 for concessionary holders.

How fortunate then that I was able to do so many fantastic courses with amazing tutors, without any financial worry.

Thank you Ken! I do hope you get to read this.

DR ECCY DE JONGE
Coram Street, WC1