Shakira Martin (NUS)

Shakira Martin

Martin addressing the 2017 NUS National Conference in Brighton.
59th President of the National Union of Students
Assumed office
3 July 2017
Preceded by Malia Bouattia
Majority 130 (18.1%)[1]
Vice President of the National Students Union for Further Education
Personal details
Born c.1988
Alma mater Lewisham and Southwark College
Shakira Martin
Vice President of the National Students Union for Further Education
In office
23 April 2015 – 3 July 2017
Preceded by Joe Vinson
Succeeded by Emily Chapman

Shakira Martin (born c. 1988) is a British student politician and the president of the National Union of Students.[2]

In April 2017, Martin, the union's vice-president for further education, defeated the incumbent Malia Bouattia, receiving 56% of the vote.[2] After widespread discontentment with NUS under Bouattia's leadership, Martin pledged "unity", "pragmatism", and to put the "NUS back into the hands of its membership".[3] She describes herself as a black working-class single mother, and comes from a Jamaican family background.[2]

Early life and career

Early life

Martin was one of nine siblings raised in Lewisham, south-east London, by Jamaican parents.[4] She left home at 16 and had two children, before graduating with a diploma in education and training from Lewisham and Southwark College and then becoming President of the college students' union.[2]

NUS Vice-President Further Education

At the NUS 2015 National Conference in Liverpool, Martin was elected as NUS' Vice President for Further Education by 141 votes to 55, following Joe Vinson.[5] In the position, she led a campaign to raise the profile of the impact of government post-16 area reviews[6] on learners, and was a "strong advocate for the learner and apprentice voice".[7][5]

Martin was then re-elected for another term in April 2016; she was uncontested for the post and won at stage one, with 152 votes compared to 11 votes to re-open nominations.[5] She expanded the previous campaign, and worked on a research project with former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Sir Vince Cable into how major FE reforms should be tailored for learners.[8] The report is due to be published by Autumn 2017.[8]

Presidency of NUS

In April 2017, after widespread discontentment with NUS under the leadership of Malia Bouattia, Martin stood for the position of President, pledging "unity", "pragmatism", and to put "NUS back into the hands of its membership".[3] She defeated the incumbent, receiving 56% of the vote.[2] Martin took office in July 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "Shakira Martin elected NUS National President 2017-18". NUS. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Topping, Alexandra; Marsh, Sarah (26 April 2017). "Divisive NUS president Malia Bouattia defeated in election". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 Pells, Rachel (26 April 2017). "Further education underdog Shakira Martin wins NUS presidency". The Independent. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Wakefield, Lawrence (27 August 2015). "Student leader with a swagger". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Burke, Jude (26 April 2017). "FE champion Shakira Martin elected NUS president". FE Week. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "Reviewing post-16 education and training institutions: area reviews (waves 1 to 5)", Department for Education. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  7. ↑ Robertson, Alix (20 April 2016). "Shakira Martin re-elected as NUS vice president for FE". FE Week. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. 1 2 Robertson, Alix (7 March 2017). "FE champion Shakira Martin standing for NUS president". FE Week. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.