The debate, organised by NUS in collaboration with the University of Reading Students’ Union, will take place at 7pm at the university’s Whiteknights Campus. Speakers will include:
- Rob Wilson MP (Conservative);
- Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party Parliamentary Candidate;
- Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat Party Parliamentary Candidate;
- Rob White, Green Party Parliamentary Candidate;
- Wes Streeting, NUS President.
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.
Reading students are taking action as NUS highlights the lack of opportunities open to many young people in some areas of the city:
- Just 2 in 10 people from the Reading West constituency go on to attend university, compared to over 3 in 10 from the Reading East constituency;
- It is no coincidence that over 55% of Reading West residents are from lower socio-economic backgrounds, compared to just 45% of Reading East residents.
NUS President Wes Streeting said:
“The vast majority of the general public is against higher fees, and voters in Reading deserve to know where their candidates stand on this key issue. At this debate, students in Reading 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.”
University of Reading Students’ Union President, Sinead Brennan, said:
“Throughout the week RUSU have been working hard to raise awareness of this issue not only to our students, but to the parents, grandparents, teachers and friends of sixth form students who could be affected by this review in the future. We’re really looking forward to the debate where all the hard work will come together; our students are looking forward to holding our politicians to account.”
At 9.30am on Thursday morning, also on Whiteknights Campus, students will be urging university staff members to attend the debate by chaining themselves to bags symbolising their debt, and displaying a banner with a petition signed by local children and parents to show their support for the campaign against higher fees.
The 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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