A leading student body has released its 2024 Manifesto for Our Future, setting out its vision for a properly funded education system that “values students and apprentices, not profits”.
In its manifesto, the NUS-USI stated: “Our movement has fought to protect students against the worst of the cost-of-living crisis. Now it’s time to work for a better future.”
They warn the future is looking bleak.
“The cost-of-living crisis, the crisis in the NHS, the mental health crisis, the housing crisis, the climate crisis, we’re becoming the `crisis generation’.”
The manifesto was based on a series of polls posted on an interactive platform called What Students Think. This allowed students to rank their election priorities, gaining 97,472 answers.
“With a general election looming, we need your help to amplify the manifesto far and wide,” it said on social media.
The manifesto covers five key policy areas:
- In the first 100 days, break the student crisis cycle
- Invest in a thriving future, invest in education
- Homes for our futures
- A welcoming and inclusive future
- A healthy future
The union maintained that the next government “must take action to lift every student in the UK out of poverty and give us all hope for the future”.
It maintains that students need a cost-of-living crisis package.
“Students are struggling with the basic necessities like food, rent, and travel. 94% of students are cutting back on necessities. Our studies and our health are suffering. We need urgent action,” the union said.
The union wants the government to invest in a thriving future – to invest in education
The manifesto said that students want an education system that is free at the point of use and funded sustainably and publicly.
“Education is the only thing that will equip us to solve the great challenge of the future. But the funding model is at breaking point. No more sticking plasters: we need funding and curriculum reform.”
They want a fair, affordable funding model where post-16 education is free at the point of use.
The manifesto points out that students are finding it increasingly difficult to access high-quality housing.
It states: “Our society has fundamentally failed when millions of us are struggling to find secure, affordable housing.”
It adds that two in five students have considered dropping out due to the cost of rent and bills.
The fourth policy focuses on “a welcoming and inclusive future”.
It said “students who come to the UK to study and build their lives face huge legal and financial barriers, with no recourse to public funds” and often face “a hostile environment”.
The fifth looks at addressing the mental health crisis and the root issues that are making students unwell. They want high-quality healthcare available for free for every single person in Britain and Northern Ireland.
“This manifesto belongs to every student who has ever been brave enough to run for election, to put their hand up and argue that something needs to change, to roll their sleeves up in their clubs and societies, in their unions and classes and get something done for the better. It’s our future.”