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Missed the Great Education Funding Debate? Now you can listen to it online

Please note: the mp3s are big files, and up to an hour long, so allow time for them to load up. Also, recording volume on the day was rather quiet so may need to adjust volume levels on your computer to compensate.

Panel one: Party policies and spokespeople Q&A

This file will be available tomorrow - all other mp3s can be listened to today

Chair: Gemma Tumelty, NUS National President
Bill Rammell MP, Further and Higher Education Minister
David Willetts MP, Conservative Shadow Education Secretary
Sarah Teather MP, Lib Dem Shadow Education Secretary

This session saw representatives from the three major political parties give their views on the current funding system, outline their policies on the issue and take questions from delegates keen to know more.

Panel two: Sustainable funding - how will we ensure sustainable funding of the sector?

Panel two mp3

Chair: Lindsey Fidler-Baker, NUS Director of Campaigns and Communications
Wendy Piatt, Director General, Russell Group
Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive, CMU
Richard Brown, Chief Executive, CIHE

This panel discussed the issue of ensuring long-term, sustainable HE funding - from the persectives of the Russell Group, modern universities and industry.

Panel three: Marketisation and the student experience - what impact is marketisation having on the student experience?

Panel three mp3

Chair: Nick Berg, ULU General Manager
Paul Marshall, Executive Director, 1994 Group
Steve Wharton, Joint President, UCU

The marketisation of education increasingly restricts student choice and adversely effects the experience a student has whilst at college or university. This debate saw panellists discuss the effect of marketisation and the long-term impact this may have on the sector.

Panel four: Economic and social impact - What will the broader economic and social impact of variable fees mean for UK society?

Panel four mp3

Chair: David Malcom, NUS Research and Policy Officer (student finance)
Neal Lawson, Director, Compass
Pat Ainley, Professor, University of Greenwich.
Raj Jethwa, Policy Officer, TUC

The fourth session discussed the wider implications of a fee-based HE system on society at large and the impact this would have on graduate life, including pensions, housing and family life.

Session five: The future of NUS' campaign

Session five mp3

This plenary debate involved all delegates discussing the way forward for NUS' funding campaign; how we seize the agenda on the crucial issues from here on in and how we work best as a movement to win the fight to keep the cap.

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