‘They're trying to take away our rights.' How much power should students have?
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Loading... - Nancy Kruss
- 27 Mar 2021
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At its annual conference this week, the National Union of Students will discuss whether its members have enough say about tuition fees and university regulation. The government claims it wants students to play a central role through the new Office for Students – but barred them from the OfS board if they had been involved in the NUS.
Charlie Peters
Philosophy student, University of Edinburgh
“I have yet to meet a fellow undergraduate who is fit for the role of forming higher education policy. I would feel much more comfortable with those decisions being made by career professionals and experts. Students can give their views, of course, but they should not be given actual power over the management of higher education. It is extremely tough to find students who can actually represent the views of their peers. The NUS is the main vehicle of student democracy, but its election turnouts are woefully low. The vast majority of students simply do not want to engage with public policy. There is a vast disconnect between the views of most students and those selected to represent them – undergraduates have largely ignored the lecturers’ strikes [over their pensions], turning up to campus and crossing picket lines every day to get on with their work.”
Prof David Green
Vice-chancellor, University of Worcester
“English higher education policy is a disastrous stew. The government’s scandalous manipulation of student representation on the OfS board exposed by the Commissioner for Public Appointments is an outrage. Students and their elected representatives have a huge role, alongside university staff and the many, many allies of universities in society, in saving England’s universities. At Worcester, elected student representatives serve on the board of governors and its committees, including audit, finance and development and human resources. We have over 500 elected student representatives for courses and academic institutes. Democracy is thriving. And I support a student representative joining the committee that decides the vice-chancellor’s remuneration.”
Mahatir Pasha
General secretary, LSE students’ union
“The government says it wants students to play a bigger role, but which students? What we are seeing now is a clear attempt to push student unions out of the picture and reduce their significance as it tries to sort out the mess it’s made by its marketisation of higher education. Student unions are seen by universities as legitimate representatives of students and provide a bridge between individual students and the management. I am struggling to see, operationally, how the OfS will be able to work without this bridge and deal directly with individual students. It is nonsense to suggest that student unions do not represent students. Sabbatical officers, such as myself, who help to lead the direction of the union, lay out our policies and are directly elected by students. They can always choose a different candidate.”
Nick Hillman
Director, Higher Education Policy Institute
“Students should have huge influence over what universities do. That is one reason why Hepi surveys students for their views so often. But until things such as turnout in student union elections reach a respectable level, I will remain wary about reserving lots of formal positions of influence for students. One specific problem is that existing students tend to have different views from future students and these key interests have to be balanced. Having one or two student union representatives on governing bodies makes sense. I even think it is fine for them to have a say in the fee-setting arrangements, as long as other interests are also fully represented. In my experience, for example, students tended to push for higher fees at their universities as they did not want to be regarded as attending a low-grade institution, even though the official NUS position was to oppose all fees.”
Azza Abdulla
NUS education officer, University of Leicester
“Students should be involved in all university decision-making bodies. At Leicester, students are co-leading with academics in everything from an inclusive curriculum to assessment – and that’s a huge step forward. Our students were not consulted in the appointment of the new chancellor, David Willetts, and that’s led to anger and disappointment. When students don’t have a voice, this is what happens. Excluding student unions is hugely problematic. The government appears to want to take away our democratic lobbying rights.”
