‘Period of change provides chance to get things right’
Student voices must be heard says Ellen Jones, the new president of the National Union of Students
June’s general election left the UK in an even more uncertain position than we were already in.
The Prime Minister sought a general election to “strengthen her hand” but emerged 13 seats down.
What version of Brexit did the public actually vote for? Is the twoparty system back and what does this Anglo-centric election mean for the devolved nations?
These questions will need answering, but since I took over as NUS Wales president at the start of July, my focus has been on the future of education in Wales.
Ahead of the election, we asked students what sort of country they want Wales to be in five years’ time.
They told us they want Wales to be a fair, inclusive, and welcoming country.
They want the environment, and the most vulnerable people in society, to be protected.
They want us to be outward-looking and aspirational. They want a rich culture, vibrant communities, and genuine sustainable development.
So, over the next five years, we will be measuring everything this new UK Parliament and Government do against these ideas.
In particular, I want to make sure that students’ right to free movement is protected. This is absolutely essential, not just for them as learners, but for our institutions too.
Then, once we’ve left the EU, I want ours to be a country which is welcoming is taking measures to tackle hate crime and division in society.
And in the future, we must secure a fair funding package that allows us to deliver an education system that everyone can access and in which everyone can succeed.
Some weeks ago, the Education Secretary announced a proposed new system for student finance, following the Diamond Review.
I was very pleased to see some really progressive measures in terms of maintenance support for students, meaning almost a third of students will be eligible for full grants.
But the proposals also included raising tuition fees. As president of NUS Wales, I cannot support that. That is a step away from, not pragmatically towards, fee-free education.
Of course, I understand that the UK Government’s austerity agenda necessitates cuts in Wales, but it is unacceptable to me that students are asked to shoulder that burden.
So, I will continue to make the case for protecting the entire education budget – not just schools – just like the Welsh Government has done with the health budget.
Another priority for me is working on the Welsh Government’s proposals to create a single body for tertiary education in Wales, following the Hazelkorn Review.
Year on year, further education has suffered as a result of having to compete with higher education. I hope that the proposed new arrangements will help put a stop to that.
As the Welsh Government sets about designing this new system, I want to make sure that students – and the student voice – are at its very heart.
That’s why, when it comes into being, I would like to see the new body making the existence of strong student voice structures a condition of funding for colleges.
Of course, this already happens in Scotland, where every FE college now has a students’ association thanks to the work of my NUS Scotland colleagues.
Further, as Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s remit is expanded to include the FE sector, I will want to see its funding increase proportionally too.
This period of significant change across the Welsh education sector is a golden opportunity to get things right. So our work on the new Welsh curriculum continues also.
Welsh pupils have been let down by a system that doesn’t teach them about their bodies, and the different genders, orientations, and relationships in life.
Making decent, inclusive sex and relationship education a core part of the Welsh curriculum would be a great start to changing that.
For too long, our education system has failed to teach our young people how to have happy, healthy, and respectful relationships with one another, and that must change.
Speaking of respect, since the EU referendum, we have seen a rise in distasteful language and hate attacks against people from other countries.
It is incumbent on all of us who believe in an inclusive and equal society to call out such behaviour when we see it, and to advocate the sort of Wales that we want to see.
The openness of society that our membership of the EU affords us makes our communities more resilient, our heritage richer, and our workplaces more diverse.
As we leave the EU, we must find a way to maintain these and other things – including our workers’, consumer, and human rights – so that we can realise our vision of the Wales we want to pass on to future generations.