National Union of Students turns 100 years old

Today marks 100 years since the National Union of Students was formed.

On 10th February 1922 students came together in the aftermath of war to work together and build a better future. After a century of pioneering work, including successfully campaigning for healthcare on campuses, in favour of gay rights, and against the payment of council tax by students, NUS tomorrow celebrates the long line of people who have stood up for their values and made change.

NUS will use tomorrow to recommit to its vision of changing education and society for the better by calling on all students to walk out of the education system which wasn’t built for them and join the national student strike on 2nd March 2022.

Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, NUS Vice-President for Higher Education, commented:

“The student movement has so much to be proud of. We have been consistently ahead of the curve on the major issues facing both students and wider society. Our work as a founding member of the anti-apartheid movement forced universities to divest from corporations engaged in trade with South Africa, we established the International Day of the Student to remember the nine students killed and over 1,200 sent to concentration camps when the Nazis stormed universities in Czechia, and NUS Women’s Campaign played a key role in ensuring that moves to restrict abortion rights have been defeated in Parliament.  

“We have been proudly radical since 1922. As we enter our next chapter, we need to prepare for the inevitable upcoming fights. But we also need to imagine a pioneering system. One which is on the cutting edge. Something altogether different and better. Something operating for the transformation of society, and actually valuing the needs and wants of students. Something accessible, fully funded, lifelong and democratic. 

“That’s why we’re coming together to create an alternative on 2nd March at our student strike. Together, we will imagine and build a better education system for the next 100 years”.

NUS wants to make 2022 a year to celebrate not just past achievements but students right now. Who they are, what they are doing and what they want to see in the future. That is why they are naming 2022 The Year of the Student, and launching a new site where students can share their creative talents in the Student Showcase or tell the stories of things they have going on and changes they want to see.