The views expressed in this article are the views of the author and not the views of the Politics Society.
I knew that speaking in our Students’ Union general meeting against a motion entitled Fight For a Free Education would inevitably open me up to attacks that I don’t agree that higher education should be free, as it was before 1997. So before I start describing how we can win a free education, let me set one thing straight: I believe that access to higher education should be accessible to all, and the best way for this to happen is for the cost of the education to be paid by the government through general taxation, and for students to be supported with universal, rather than means-tested grants.
Where I differ from those I affectionately describe as being on the hard left is how to achieve it. The Students’ Union should have policy supporting a free education, but needs to be a sensible and inclusive one which reaches out to students. It shouldn?t be prescriptive - specifying a monthly quota of flyers or the text to appear on a plaque is counterproductive.
We need a policy which enables campaigners and activists to reach out to less politicised students and allows them to take ownership of the campaign, engaging them and ensuring that even small actions taken are steps towards victory. Continue reading ‘Winning a Free Education’
