What better way to kick off January than with an NEC meeting? There was an update on a few things, including a presentation on the future for NUS training. Training for communications officers will come back, but the big news is that NUS Convention will get the boot in the shake up. Most of the motions were uncontroversial except for two motions for demonstrations. A project fund has been set up, which has provided money for World Aids Day, and an Arts Students project amongst others. But a demo against international students visa charges became the first thing not to be approved. Also, a demo on course closures also got the boot.

There were some great high spots for January though. As, it seems the main campaigning target for Mature Students this year, to get the age abr on student loans has been achieved. I went to a meeting with Kim Howells and other interested parties and it is pretty much certain they will go. Why they hadn’t got rid of the bar in the 2004 HE Act I don’t know, as when the Human Right Legislation comes in next year on age discrimination, they’ll be illegal anyway. At least that’s what we think. Howells also said they would look at the four year rule, which seems bizarre if they are looking at a culture of lifelong learning (currently you can have a total of four years HE study support in your lifetime) and it looks like getting rid of the debt write off on death, something which they had been considering, seems to have been blown out of the water when I pointed out just how much someone could end up owing if they died 24 years after graduating, but staying below the threshold. I just don’t think they had ever done the maths on that one. Oddly enough Howells was going on about the good work being done by the B&Q University. I wonder if they have a students union! The one big downside that came out of the meeting is that it seems certain the government wants to jack up the fees for mature students in FE. Unlike the loans barrier being scrapped though, I doubt they will officially announce that one before the election.

Of course that wasn’t the only victory the student movement has just scored. It was great to be at the House of Commons to see the hard work that Damien Kavanagh but in pay off, when the Northern Ireland Grand Committee voted against top-up fees for NI. Of course the government will now try and oush this through some other way, but to actually be there for a win which at least keeps the hopes of defeating this daft idea alive was absolutely priceless.

Another good showing for NUS was the QAA day in Birmingham. Besides this being a very useful day for all concerned, unlocking the mysteries of QAA submissions and providing great advice and training on issues like good course rep networks, cash from the QAA meant that it was a free event for unions to attend, with the QAA even coughing up for NUSs expenses. We could definitely all do with more events like these in the future.

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