NUS President must lobby to ‘widen access to university’

The new President of the National Union of Students (NUS), Liam Burns, said the year ahead will be “hugely challenging for both further and higher education”.

Few would suggest he is exaggerating.

According to the Channel 4 News tuition fees map the majority of universities in England are opting to charge £9,000 a year from 2012.

Ministers said that the maximum tuition fees charge would be the exception rather than the rule: a claim which has left many young people disillusioned.

Read more: Tuition fees FactCheck - will graduates pay less as Clegg promises?

Channel 4 News has been following a group of students from King’s College London since the publication of the Browne Review last year.

Phil Gardner, a 19-year-old history and war studies student, is now calling for the Government to admit that the £9,000 charge is no longer the exception.

“They (Ministers) do talk about measures that will be taken to encourage the poorest students to go to university… I look forward to seeing the details of the proposals. If it’s only rhetoric it will be very disappointing.”

I’ll work tirelessly to defend, extend and promote the rights of students. Liam Burns

Final year modern languages student Suki Hichens told Channel 4 News that the new President must lobby to widen access to education: “We have to make sure that students from poorer backgrounds are still encouraged to go to university and know that there is financial help available.”

Thomas Clayton, who studies history, said he was not surprised that the majority of universities were opting the charge the maximum amount: “Universities have already been complaining about a lack of funding so it’s just inevitable that they were going to charge up to maximum level the majority of the time.”

Read more: FactCheck - University tuition fees set to run riot

Taking over at a ‘challenging time’

Liam Burns has vowed to “work tirelessly to defend, extend and promote the rights of students”.

He replaces current President Aaron Porter who is standing down after criticism of his response to last year’s high-profile student protests.

Liam Burns studied physics at Heriot-Watt University and will officially take up his post on July 1, when Mr Porter’s term ends.

He said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been elected NUS National President for the year to come.

“It’s going to be a hugely challenging year for both further and higher education.”

All the students from King’s College London agreed the main task for the new President will be to unite the NUS for future campaigns.

Thomas Clayton said: “We’re no longer fighting a battle with an unclear end, we know exactly what we’ve got now.

“It’s much more difficult to change something that has already been done, having said that we can still keep up pressure with mass protests hopefully.

“The real challenge is going to make sure we have a united student body.”

Phil Gardner added he was “careful and cautious” about suggestions that they could ever get a reversal on tuition fees from this Government.

He argued that a serious pledge from the Labour party for future elections would be a good way forward, as well as making sure the tuition fees decision in England does not extend to Scotland and Wales.