ABSTRACT
There have been major changes in the student support system and the quality of the student experience has been adversely affected. Many students face serious debt and hardship, funding per student has collapsed and lecturers do not earn what they deserve. The contribution of students and their representatives in higher education towards the notion of a compact for higher education needs to be properly addressed. The new compact in tertiary education will evolve as lifelong and distance learning takes hold. Contributions from stakeholders will alter, and employers may contribute more through individual learning accounts – particularly on the costs of retraining. Students are one of the groups within the population that has been the quickest to adapt to new communications and information technology (CIT/ICT). ICT has the potential to improve the student experience for all learners. The National Union of Students should survive well into the new century, providing a national voice for students.
