Wednesday, 14 September 2011 07:45 The National Union of Students has hit out at the Government in response to a new report stating participation in UK education is one of the lowest among leading economies.

In the report by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), entitled 'Education at a Glance 2011', the UK was ranked 26 out of 30 for 15-19 year olds in education.

The union claims the government risks making the situation worse by not investing in Further Education and lending support to students.

The NUS is calling for ministers to concentrate on ensuring financial support reaches students directly while they are studying to avoid undermining the education system.

Liam Burns, NUS President, said: "The Government claims that education is a priority but their policies risk worsening an already poor history of participation and investment by failing to provide students with adequate support."

The report is based on figures from 2000 to 2009 and do not take into account any action taken by the coalition government.

Mr Burns added: "Even before the Government decided to treble tuition fees and slash funding, UK participation and investment in further education was already languishing near the bottom of the table and they have now put us at risk of dropping even further."

Bruce Thain