IAM writing to you about the imminent closure of the art department at Accrington and Rossendale college.

The college's annual art exhibition at the Haworth Art Gallery this month was well represented with excellent work from all the lecturers in addition to that of students and ex-students.

It was opened by the vice-principal of the college, Mr Tim Atkinson, who was full of praise for the standard of the exhibits.

How he could stand there and praise the exhibition when he must have known that the college was in the process of making five out of the six art lecturers redundant and closing down the art department, I do not know.

Presumably the administration has thought through the consequences of its actions, one of which could be that students may in future migrate to neighbouring colleges, where, I am sure, they and the revenue they bring will be very welcome.

In addition are the present art students, who are on A-level, GNVQ and foundation courses and in the middle of their college year, going to be compensated for the time and money that has been wasted if the college is unable to carry out their courses to the end of the year - when only one lecturer out of six has been retained?

It is surely time that the governors of the college took an interest in what is going on, instead of the management interviewing students and not being able to answer their questions when the students' futures could be in jeopardy!

DENNIS CRABTREE (mature student), Highergate Road, Huncoat.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.