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<H1><A
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<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>UPDATE: Protest at Tory Headquarters
(see videostream footage on left of page) <A
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<H1>Students take to streets for protest against tuition fees</H1>
<P id=stand-first class=stand-first-alone>More than 24,000 students are expected
in London to protest over coalition's plans to lift cap on tuition fees</P>
<P class=stand-first-alone>Placard says: "Education for the masses, not just the
ruling classes"</P>
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<LI class=byline sizcache="0" sizset="59"><A class=contributor
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jeevanvasagar"><STRONG><FONT
title="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jeevanvasagar
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color=#005689>Jeevan Vasagar</FONT></STRONG></A>, <A class=contributor
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/paullewis"><STRONG><FONT
title="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/paullewis
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color=#005689>Paul Lewis</FONT></STRONG></A>, <A class=contributor
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/matthewtaylor"><STRONG><FONT
title="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/matthewtaylor
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color=#005689>Matthew Taylor</FONT></STRONG></A> and <A class=contributor
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/adam-gabbatt"><STRONG><FONT
title="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/adam-gabbatt
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color=#005689>Adam Gabbatt</FONT></STRONG></A>
<LI class=publication sizcache="0" sizset="63"><A
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian"><FONT
title="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian
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color=#005689>The Guardian</FONT></A>, <TIME pubdate
datetime="2010-11-10">Wednesday 10 November 2010</TIME>
<LI class=history><A id=history-link-byline class="rollover history-link"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/10/students-streets-protest-tuition-fees#history-link-box"
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<DIV id=article-wrapper sizcache="0" sizset="64"><FIGURE><FONT
color=#005689><IMG style="WIDTH: 484px; HEIGHT: 290px"
alt="Goldsmith University students protesting "
src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/11/10/1289354229770/Goldsmith-University-stud-006.jpg"
width=460 height=276></FONT> <FIGCAPTION>Students from Goldsmiths, University of
London, protesting against tuition fees. Research published by the UCU shows the
annual cost of a degree has risen by 300% in two decades. Photograph: Graeme
Robertson for the Guardian</FIGCAPTION> </FIGURE>
<P sizcache="0" sizset="64">The coalition government is expected to face the
largest show of opposition to its austerity cuts since it came to power when
tens of thousands of <A title="More from guardian.co.uk on Students"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/students"><FONT
color=#005689>students</FONT></A> take to the streets today to <A
title="More from guardian.co.uk on Protest"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/protest"><FONT
color=#005689>protest</FONT></A> against increases in university fees.</P>
<P sizcache="0" sizset="66">Some 24,034 students have registered to take part in
the march, and many have purchased seats on coaches booked to ferry students to
central <A title="More from guardian.co.uk on London"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/london"><FONT
color=#005689>London</FONT></A>.</P>
<P>The largest student contingent is expected to come from London-based
universities, which are anticipating more than 5,000 marchers to show up. About
3,200 students from other universities in the south-east have said they will
attend, with more than 4,500 students signed up from the West Midlands,
Yorkshire and Humberside. The march is organised by the National Union of
Students and the lecturers' union, the University and College Union (UCU).</P>
<P>Fourteen coaches have been booked to bring about 700 students from
Manchester's two universities alone and 600 students from Reading University
have said they will attend.</P>
<P>A big delegation is expected from Sheffield, where activists say anger has
been directed at the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, whose constituency is in
the city. He has been widely criticised for reneging on a Liberal Democrat
election promise not to increase fees.</P>
<P sizcache="0" sizset="67">Students put calls out on Twitter and Facebook to
make Clegg's west London home the target of a spontaneous "flash mob" rally on
the eve of the march. Aaron Porter, the NUS president, said: "This is the
largest student protest in the UK for at least a decade … which goes to show the
huge extent of discontent with this government's short-sighted plans, which will
effectively privatise large parts of <A
title="More from guardian.co.uk on Higher education"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/higher-education"><FONT
color=#005689>higher education</FONT></A> and remove support for many college
and adult education learners."</P>
<P>Students with a track record of running "direct action" campaigns are also
known to be planning co-ordinated sit-ins and occupations alongside the
march.</P>
<P>The Metropolitan police, which is thought to be expecting 15,000 protesters,
said it had been in discussions with the NUS and other groups planning to march
along the Embankment.</P>
<P>Meanwhile, in a letter to the Guardian , nine university vice-chancellors
warn the government that it is making a "profound error" by withdrawing public
funds from undergraduate teaching.</P>
<P sizcache="0" sizset="68">They argue that government proposals to raise <A
title="More from guardian.co.uk on Tuition fees"
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/tuition-fees"><FONT
color=#005689>tuition fees</FONT></A> to as high as £9,000 and make deep cuts to
teaching budgets "assume that higher education is of value only to the
individual but not to society or the economy". Although students will not be
required to pay fees upfront, the fear of debt will deter the poorest, the
vice-chancellors believe.</P>
<P>Professor Caroline Gipps, vice-chancellor of Wolverhampton, said: "I do think
that many of the sorts of families that we work with will think very carefully
before they take on this level of debt. That [level of fees] is a tall order for
families that don't have a lot of income, don't have a history of going to
university."</P>
<P>Many of the universities that have signed today's letter have a high
proportion of ethnic minority and working class students. The University of East
London had 4,590 black students in 2007/08. By contrast, the entire Russell
group of 20 highly selective universities had 7,815 black students.</P>
<P>Research published by the UCU shows the annual cost of a degree has risen by
300% in two decades. It says the cost of going to university to a graduate from
an average household in 1988-89 was £1,545.50. This had risen to £6,360 by the
latest academic year. By 2012 – the year the new tuition fee cap is due to be
introduced – the union suggests that the annual cost for fees and maintenance
will be £12,750.</P>
<P>The analysis claims that, in comparison with the increase in the cost of
going to university, the cost of a shopping basket of everyday items rose by
127.1% between 1988 and 2010.The union also claims that, despite increasing
costs, the staff-to-student ratio has risen, with one member of staff for every
16.3 students in 2008-09, up from one staff member for every 12.6 students in
1988. Yesterday the universities minister, David Willetts, corrected last week's
statement on student support by revealing that students from households earning
between £49,000 and £53,000 will receive, on average, £120 less in maintenance
loans than previously stated.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>