John Denham MP

At 11am on the Second of February, the University of Portsmouth Students' Union (UPSU) will be officially lobbying John Denham, the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills at his constituency surgery in Bittern.

Students from Portsmouth shall be meeting up with their counterparts from Southampton, Oxford and Chichester to present petitions against top-up fees and for a fairer education system.

This lobbying is part of a wider campaign, being run across the region, in the run up to the fees review in 2009. Students from Portsmouth will be represented by sabbatical officers and the UPSU Campaign Coalition, which is comprised of various political student societies and has been campaigning on this issue throughout the year in conjunction with the official UPSU campaign.

UPSU officially stands against the continued privatisation of education and for an education system based on the ability to lean, not the ability to pay. In order to raise awareness of this issue UPSU have been collecting signatures and will be hosting debates and action days throughout the year.

The lobby on the second of February will be followed by a rally and a public meeting to discuss moving the campaign forward across the region.

For more information contact the Ben Norman, Activities and Development Officer, by email , or 0239284 3659