The debate, organised by NUS in collaboration with students’ unions from University of the Arts London, University College London, London School of Economics, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London, will take place at 7pm at the Camden Centre.
The debate will be followed by a rally of London students outside the Royal Exchange at 12pm on Wednesday 2 December.
The two main political parties have refused to declare their position on top up fees, and have instead set up a review of higher education funding to report after the general election.
London students are taking action as to highlight the lack of opportunities open to many young people in some areas of the city:
- Just over 1 in 10 from the Dagenham constituency goes on to attend university, compared to almost 7 in 10 from the Kensington and Chelsea constituency;
- It is no coincidence that 70% of Dagenham residents are from lower socio-economic backgrounds, compared to just 21% of Kensington and Chelsea residents.
Even if a poorer student does manage to make it to university, they are still likely to experience inequality:
- University College London, with fewer than 19% of its students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is able to spend over £11,000 on each student per year;
- The University of Westminster, with nearly 45% of its students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is only able to spend just over £4,200 on each student per year.
NUS President Wes Streeting said:
“The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and voters in London deserve to know where their candidates stand on this key issue. At this debate, students in London are making it clear to their politicians that if they refuse to speak out against raising the cap on fees, we will hit them where it hurts – at the ballot box.
“NUS believes that a university education should be free at the point of use, with graduates giving back to the system according to how much they earn. This would give universities double the amount of funding they currently receive, while allowing the children of poorer families to go to university without the fear of debt. It would also prevent the emergence of a market in higher education, where only the rich could afford to attend our most prestigious universities.”
The student action is part of a series of Town Takeovers, which have seen protests and debates in eight other cities across England during October and November. A tenth event will be held in Birmingham on Thursday.
A few weeks ago, a YouGov poll commissioned by pressure group Compass revealed that only 12% of the public think the review should even consider increasing fees, while a majority believes that it should look at alternatives to fees.
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