The protest, organised by NUS in collaboration with students’ unions from Southampton Solent University and the University of Southampton, will involve a ‘flashmob’, followed by students’ union leaders taking Q&A sessions with members of the public.
The students will then gather outside Southampton Solent Students’ Union at 3.30pm, where there will be speeches and photo opportunities. A public debate with local politicians will be held at Solent Conference Centre at 7pm.
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.
Southampton students are taking action as NUS highlights the lack of opportunities open to many young people in some areas of the city:
- Under 2 in 10 people from the Itchen constituency go on to attend university, compared to almost 5 in 10 from the Winchester constituency;
- It is no coincidence that over 60% of Itchen residents are from lower socio-economic backgrounds, compared to just 47% of Winchester residents.
Even if a poorer student does manage to make it to university, they are still likely to experience inequality:
- The University of Southampton, with under 20% of its students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is able to spend almost £6,000 on each student per year;
- Southampton Solent University, with over 35% of its students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is only able to spend just over £3,400 on each student per year.
NUS President Wes Streeting said:
“The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and voters in Southampton deserve to know where their candidates stand on this key issue. Today students in Southampton 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 Solent Conference Centre debate will take place between 7 and 9pm on Tuesday. Speakers include Wes Streeting, President, NUS; Jeremy Moulton, Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate; Alan Whitehead MP (Labour); Sandra Gidley MP (Liberal Democrats).
Today’s student action is part of a series of NUS Town Takeovers, which will see protests and debates in 10 cities across England during October, November and December.
On Sunday, 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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