Leeds uni fights against fee increase with TEFCO

Save the studying and buy your degree off the shelf


Leeds University Union are taking a stance against rising fees by likening degrees to supermarket goods.

The exec at the uni are promoting their protest against the fee increase by setting up a stall in the union named TEFCO and selling degrees.

Manning the stall on the day, education officer Melissa Owusu likened degrees nowadays as nothing more than transactions with the governement.

Melissa said: “TEFCO is a play on the name of a well know supermarket, so we used this to communicate the marketisation of the Higher Education system, wherein fees are going to rise using a mechanism named the Teaching Excellence Framework otherwise known as the TEF.

“As the fees rise a market will be created in higher education and degrees will be further commodified to simply a product off the shelf.

“We believe in a free and fair education system that is not dictated by the market but by intellectual curiosity, so we stand against the government’s proposed changes towards a marketised system.”

The union are supporting the campaign started by the NUS and have arranged for students to be able to travel to London and attend the national demo.

Melissa added: “If you agree that any rise tuition fees and the broader changes to education towards a market are wrong please join us on the Demo”

The union are following the hashtag #Nov19 and more information can be found on the LUU website:  https://www.luu.org.uk/ents/event/12377/