The NUS students’ union is urging chancellor Rishi Sunak to commit to supporting colleges impacted by the coronavirus. 

The union says no student should lose out on support if they have to self-isolate, and colleges should be supported if they suffer from significantly reduced international recruitment.

The NUS is also calling on the chancellor to use today's Budget to raise the base rate funding for 16- to 18-year-olds from £4,000 to £4,760 “as a matter of urgency”, and to introduce tuition fee exemptions for all students in nursing, midwifery and healthcare. 

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NUS national president Zamzam Ibrahim said that post-16 education needed to be funded, life-long and accessible.

She added: “The market approach has failed to achieve this, and so we believe the Treasury must use this Budget to take the opportunity to invest in post-16 education, and the students studying within it, as a clear public good and to ensure a skilled and diverse workforce for the future. That process will take longer than one year, but our recommendations would ensure that we move in that direction.

“We recognise that this Budget will not see complete reform of the education system, given that the government has already stated it will respond to the review of post-18 education and funding in full at the upcoming Spending Review. However, students cannot wait that long for some of the reforms they need, and this Budget must be used to do right by students.”