Education Funding

Paul writes:

I believe passionately in free education. No one should be forced out of education simply because they cannot afford the costs. No one should be put off education and training for fear of debt. I believe that the Government was horribly wrong in introducing tuition fees, and in failing to rule out altogether top-up fees. However I believe that the removal of maintainance support has affected poor students more greatly than the introduction of fees as this hits the poorest students particularly hard. Maintainence grants must be reintroduced across the UK for both Higher and Further Education students to ensure that education is available to all who are academically able.
I welcome the Cubie proposals and the resulting introduction of targetted bursaries in Scotland, and would welcome the extension of the Scottish system throughout the UK. However I personally do not believe that this goes far enough. I believe that NUS should support any student union that democratically decides to support students refusing to pay fees or occupying University property, but it is not the place of the National Union to try and impose its views on unwilling member unions. However, if elected as National Secretary I will represent the views of NUS's membership as expressed through Conference, rather than my own.

Education Funding is often viewed solely in terms of the fees paid by UK resident undergraduates. With the threat of top-up fees being introduced in this Parliament ruled out by all the four main political parties, underfunded Universities will look to make up funding through raising the fees they do have control over - those of international students and postgraduates.

Paul writes:

Too often postgraduates and international students are ignored. I have a track record of highlighting the 'top up fees' imposed on international and postgraduate students within NUS and will be vigilant of the threats added through Blunkett ruling out top-up fees for the coming Parliament. I have worked on postgraduate issues in past policy development and believe there is a real need for NUS to take action to ensure that that the principle that education should be limited only by merit, not by finance should be applied not just to home Higher Education undergraduates, but to all students Free education must be for all, not just a minority of stuents..

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