Posts Tagged ‘NUS’

The National Union of Students has sent a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg asking him to reaffirm the Liberal Democrat’s opposition to a rise in tuition fees.

Dated Wednesday 12th May, the letter emphasises the need for Clegg to “make good on [his] commitments to work to introduce a fairer alternative to higher fees,” and asks for immediate clarification on the coalition government’s stance on the future of student top-up fees.

The thorny issue of tuition fees was left out of the Conservative-Lib Dem government policy this week, and has since remained unresolved: the Conservatives are seen to favour higher tuition fees, while the Lib Dem election manifesto explicitly opposed them. Many analysts expect Lord Browne – who is holding an ongoing independent review into higher education funding – to propose an increase in the tuition fee cap, currently £3,225.

The agreement between the parties read: “If the response of the government to Lord Browne’s report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote.”

In April, 700 MPs and over 1000 prospective parliamentary candidates – including 400 Lib Dem candidates – signed an NUS Vote for Students pledge which opposed a hike in tuition fees. The letter continues: “You campaigned with a clear and welcome manifesto pledge to support those in higher education and reduce their burden of student debt. Your MPs signed a pledge, a pact between candidates and their constituents, to vote against a rise in tuition fees and to press the government for a fairer alternative.” It is also hoped that the appointment of Vince Cable as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills – where he is likely to take responsibility for university policy – will allow for the inclusion of Liberal Democrat polices regarding tuition fees. Dr Cable, along with every other elected Liberal Democrat MP, also signed the NUS pledge.

In the letter, Aaron Porter, NUS President-elect, writes: “The faith students and their families have placed in the Liberal Democrats must now be repaid.”

“Given the individual compact they made with their electorate through the Vote for Students pledge, it is incumbent on them to oppose any attempt to raise the cap on fees and to press the government for a fairer alternative. We hope that you will keep your promise and help to ensure that the next parliament votes for students.”

On the campaign trail, Nick Clegg signed the NUS pledge during a visit to the University of Cambridge, and he made a clear comparison between Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat policy on fees:”The Liberal Democrats are different. Not only will we oppose any raising of the cap, we will scrap tuition fees for good, including for part-time students. We can’t do it overnight, but we can start straight away with students in their first year – that way means anyone at university this autumn will have their debt cut by at least £3,000. Students can make the difference in countless seats in this election.  Use your vote to block those unfair tuition fees and get them scrapped once and for all.”

Lord Browne’s report is expected to be published in the next few months.

Read the full letter here

A recent poll involving 30 major UK universities suggests that almost a third of university students are planning to vote Conservative in next month’s election.

In a survey of 14,000 final year undergraduates, the Conservatives had their greatest support from Durham, St Andrews and Reading while Labour came top at LSE, York and Liverpool. The data, compiled by High Fliers Research, showed 30 percent of students taking part intended to vote Tory, 21 percent Labour and 19 percent Liberal Democrat.

Michael Birchall, who produced the research, said the Labour and Conservative voters stuck closely to stereotype. Universities where a high proportion of the student body are from private schools had the highest Tory support; these students were also expected to earn the highest salaries and wanted to work in investment banking, law or marketing. One in five of these Conservative voters also said they expected earn at least £100,000 a year by the time they are 30.

Students who intend to vote Labour were most likely to have attended comprehensive schools and were keen to pursue careers in teaching and the media. At the National Union of Students annual conference, Wes Streeting, NUS president, criticised the Conservative party for not pledging to oppose an increase in tuition fee top-ups.

He said; “For a party hoping to form the next government, this is a real let down,” and went on to say a Conservative government would “represent a significant threat for the millions of students who are looking for real change.” The Liberal Democrats are currently the only party with a clear plan for abandoning tuition fees.

Two thirds of the students interviewed said they would vote on policy, 17 per cent would choose the most convincing leader and one in seven said they would support the party their parents voted for. 18 per cent said they had yet to decide who to support.

From September 2011, a new charter of ‘student rights’ will guarantee a new minimum level of university standards for students across the UK.

Each university will have to publish a charter clarifying exactly what its students can expect from contact time with academics, amount of teaching hours, coursework feedback, support from tutors, lecture sizes, and term-time accommodation.

The new government initiative was announced this month by the Minister for Higher Education, David Lammy, right before the upcoming review of tuition fees which is expected to raise undergraduate fees and student loan interest rates.

In recent years, UK students at various universities have arranged protests against substandard services and numerous petitions demanding greater rights.

Lammy said: ‘Since the introduction of variable fees, students have rightly become more focused on the return they get from their own investment in their future.’

NUS President Wes Streeting welcomed the new initiative: ‘Too often vague promises are made in shiny prospectuses, raising students’ expectations beyond what’s deliverable in practice. This has led to increasing student and wider public concern about quality and standards across the board. It’s absolutely right that the government should act as a champion for students’ rights and interests and support this work to make it much clearer what we can expect from teaching, facilities and support while offering clear redress when it isn’t delivered.’

The structure of the charters will be developed by a working group co-chaired by Wes Streeting and the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes, Janet Beer. Each university will have to agree its own specific terms locally.