This week we are stepping up our campaign to stop the government's plan to privatise our student loans through a national week of protests, rallies and creative direct action which will sweep across more than 50 university and college campuses in the biggest wave of opposition to the plans yet.
As a secret report for the government has confirmed, to ensure the student loan book is profitable for private companies the cap on interest for repayments would need to be increased. This means graduates would effectively face a retrospective hike in the cost of their tuition fees.
The sell-off of student loans is just the latest major assault on education, following the tripling of tuition fees, the scrapping of Education Maintenance Allowance and an austerity agenda which is hitting the living standards of students hard, especially through rising rents.
We are building a movement on campuses across the country to stop this grossly unfair and unjust policy. This week's national week of action co-ordinated by the Student Assembly Against Austerity will see a major escalation of the student fight back against this latest government attack on our education.
Aaron Kiely, NUS Black Students' Officer
Hannah Ellen Clare, University of Liverpool & Young Greens North Co-convenor
Marienna Pope-Weidmann, Student Assembly Against Austerity
Barbara Ntumy, NUS Women's Committee
Matt Stanley, NUS LGBT Committee & NUS National Executive
Clifford Fleming, Co-Chair National Young Greens & University of Manchester SU Campaigns and Citizenship Officer
Fiona Edwards, Student Broad Left & Student Assembly Against Austerity
Sam Dathi, Counterfire Students
Tom Costerton, SOAS Student Assembly Against Austerity
Rosie Rawle, Union of University of East Anglia Students Communications Officer
Marianna Musset, Leeds University Union Political and Campaigning Representative
Charlotte Bennett, Midkent College Students' Union Women's Officer
Miguel Costa Matos, University of Warwick Undergraduate Social Sciences Faculty Representative
Ben Hayes, Goldsmiths College Student Assembly Against Austerity
Piers Telemacque, Bradford College Students' Union President
Umar Rafiques, Bradford College Students' Union Vice President
Kate Hurford, Goldsmiths College Students' Union Black Students' Officer
Richard Cullent, University of Bradford Union Secretary Treasurer
Laura Vrabie, University of Kent
William Pinkney-Baird, Durham University Students Against Austerity
Nathan Pettefar, London Metropolitan University Student Assembly Against Austerity
James Elliott, Oxford University Students' Union Disabilities Officer
Lily Waring, Gloucestershire Students Against the Student Debt Sell Off
Dan Kiddle, Brighton Students Against Debt
Hannah Billing, LSE
Joey Davison, LSE
Josiah Mortimer, York University & Young Greens National Committee
Emmeline Wilcox, Queen Mary University Student Assembly Against Austerity
Kate Connelly, Queen Mary University Student Assembly Against Austerity
Carlus Hudson, Exeter University
Alex Falconer, Falmouth University Assembly Against Austerity
Kylie Noble, Queen University Belfast Young Greens Chair
Joe Wait, Manchester College
George Venizelos, Essex University Students' Union Participation and Involvement Officer
Areeb Ullah, Kings College London Students' Union Vice President of Academic Affairs
Simon Roscoe Blevins, Sheffield University
Amber Homes, Institute of Education Students' Union President of Education and Student Experience
Jonaya Bailey, Oldham Sixth Form College
Penelope Bielckus, Bath University
Harry Taylor, University of Derby
Laura Ager, University of Salford
Joe Haslam, Lancaster and Morecambe College
Mostafa Rajaai, University of the Arts Students' Union Culture and Diversity Officer
Tomáš Tengely-Evans, University of Cardiff
Laura Grossmann, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Izzy Nicol, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Lara Samuel, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Dan Kennedy, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Lewis Nielsen, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Amber Rose- Dewey, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Abbie Manning, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Alice Bone-Connaughton, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Holly Righley Lewenstein, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Max O'Donnell-Savarge, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Adriano Merola Merotta, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Matilda Lawrence-Jubb, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Billie Turner, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Kay Michelsen, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Matt Houghton, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
George Marchbank, Sussex University Stop Privatisation
Antonia Blumenstock, Sussex University Stop Privatisation