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NUS DROPS FREE EDUCATION PRINCIPLE

Students at the annual NUS National Conference have voted to get scrap the principle that the National Union of Students will only argue for free education. Although alternative motions to ‘fight for the abolition of all tuition fees and hold a national demonstration’ were proposed, they were defeated by just 41 votes.

The newly-elected president, Wes Streeting, said the union would propose alternatives to the current higher education fees system, which is to be reviewed next year.

“The government’s push for different markets has been disastrous. We will debate a graduate contribution if it means a fairer system that doesn’t unleash market forces.” This is likely to mean that in future, NUS will argue that, instead of free education, students should pay a small graduate fee after they have finished their degree, rather than paying tuition fees up-front at the beginning of each academic year.

Not all delegates agreed, however. NEC member Rob Owen argued that “the challenge is the fact the government sees our fees as a way of funding it [Higher Education]. We can’t allow our union to be sucked into another big conversation with Labour.”

Critics say tuition fees deter students from attending university, particularly those from poorer backgrounds.

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