Following a hectic year as Deputy President I find myself staring down the barrel of one of the most challenging campaigning years NUS Wales has ever had to face. The Welsh Assembly will, in 2005, make its decision on the introduction of variable top-up fees. NUS Wales aims to ensure they make the right decision.

With that in mind I have spent a lot of time (after rifling through our policy) planning the education funding campaign for the year ahead, taking the lessons learnt from the fight in Westminster and applying them in a Welsh context. I have begun planning for our first term national demo and have put together a timetable of campaigning events for the subsequent months. More information about these will be given at the Big Welsh Weekend (BWW).

I have also begun drafting information to be sent to trade unions and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA’s) as I hope to engage them throughout the campaign. I have had a meeting with the AUT and the Wales TUC to this end.

I have plans to meet with Professor Lusty, chair of Higher Education Wales (HEW), which is the Welsh equivalent of Universities UK, to see if we can undertake any joint campaigning work: Professor Lusty is renowned for his (personal) anti-top-up fees stance.

I have also plans to meet with the Vice Chancellor of the Open University (OU), Dr Graham, as obviously top-up fees will have dire consequences for part-time students which is particularly pertinent to OU students.

At the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol I spoke with a number of student officers about tying in our campaign for an increase in Welsh medium teaching provision in Higher Education (HE) to the main education funding campaign, and have since begun plans to hold a first term lobby of the Welsh Assembly on this issue. I hope to work with the newly elected Welsh Language Officer after the BWW.

As President I also have NEC roles, which to date have included: NEC meetings, summer training programs, NEC responsibility team meetings and Freshers’ Faires outside of Wales.

Other miscellaneous activities include: devolution of student support meetings (including a stakeholder seminar in Swansea), speaking at the Association of Graduate Recruiters conference, Quality Assurance Committee meetings, WNEC meetings, college visits, meetings with policy makers at the Assembly’s Higher Education Division, meetings with Jane Davidson, meetings with Stonewall Cymru and a meeting with Forward Broadband.

Many of these are standing meetings although some of them, notably devolution of student support meetings, where I am a board member, require more of my time than others.

If you have any questions or need to speak to me then please feel free to email me at james.knight@nus-wales.org.uk

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