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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Toni Pearce elected NUS president | Toni Pearce elected NUS president |
| (4 months later) | |
| The NUS has elected Toni Pearce, the current vice-president for further education, to replace Liam Burns as president this summer. | The NUS has elected Toni Pearce, the current vice-president for further education, to replace Liam Burns as president this summer. |
| Pearce, who will be the first NUS president not to hold a degree, says she'll put further education (FE) back on the agenda. | Pearce, who will be the first NUS president not to hold a degree, says she'll put further education (FE) back on the agenda. |
| "Higher education and further education students face many of the same problems – from student finance to the lack of affordable accommodation, we should tackle these together." | "Higher education and further education students face many of the same problems – from student finance to the lack of affordable accommodation, we should tackle these together." |
| "We've started to really prioritise the work that we do for FE students. A few years ago making a campaign like further education loans a priority on the national agenda would have seemed a bit odd, and we might not have done it. We've come a long way." | "We've started to really prioritise the work that we do for FE students. A few years ago making a campaign like further education loans a priority on the national agenda would have seemed a bit odd, and we might not have done it. We've come a long way." |
| Pearce, who had the backing of outgoing president Liam Burns, won a 57.8% share of the votes. | Pearce, who had the backing of outgoing president Liam Burns, won a 57.8% share of the votes. |
| She beat competition from Vicki Baars, the most left-wing candidate (28.7%) and Peter Smallwood, a rare Tory candidate (12.4%). The election's protest candidate, an "inanimate carbon rod", which was represented by UCL student Sam Gaus, withdrew from the race on Tuesday morning. | She beat competition from Vicki Baars, the most left-wing candidate (28.7%) and Peter Smallwood, a rare Tory candidate (12.4%). The election's protest candidate, an "inanimate carbon rod", which was represented by UCL student Sam Gaus, withdrew from the race on Tuesday morning. |
| Pearce will use her time as president to campaign for a new postgraduate funding system, a replacement for education maintenance allowance (EMA) and better pay for apprenticeships. She also plans to campaign for a single Ucas system for further and higher education. | Pearce will use her time as president to campaign for a new postgraduate funding system, a replacement for education maintenance allowance (EMA) and better pay for apprenticeships. She also plans to campaign for a single Ucas system for further and higher education. |
| But a national demonstration will not help achieve these goals, she added: "This year is about returning to campuses and reconnecting with students." | But a national demonstration will not help achieve these goals, she added: "This year is about returning to campuses and reconnecting with students." |
| In his last conference speech delivered as president, Liam Burns also warned that demonstrations aren't the only way to lobby government. | In his last conference speech delivered as president, Liam Burns also warned that demonstrations aren't the only way to lobby government. |
| Burns was criticised following last November's demonstration, with many claiming he had failed to fight the trebling of tuition fees. Speaking at the NUS national conference yesterday, he said: "If you stand on this stage and claim that we should demand free education, living grants for all, we will win nothing." | Burns was criticised following last November's demonstration, with many claiming he had failed to fight the trebling of tuition fees. Speaking at the NUS national conference yesterday, he said: "If you stand on this stage and claim that we should demand free education, living grants for all, we will win nothing." |
| Pearce has been the NUS vice-president for further education since 2011 and was president of Cornwall College Students' Union between 2009-11. | Pearce has been the NUS vice-president for further education since 2011 and was president of Cornwall College Students' Union between 2009-11. |
| •This article was amended on 21 May. It previously stated that Pearce was the second NUS president who does not hold a degree. | •This article was amended on 21 May. It previously stated that Pearce was the second NUS president who does not hold a degree. |
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