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Education charity Teach First has launched a national competition to gather the views of students on what they would like to see done to improve the education system.

The competition, which is open to UK students enrolled in higher and further education is launched in an environment where 96% of independent school pupils progress to university, while just 16% of youngsters eligible for free school meals access higher education. The competition also coincides with a major review of university funding which could bring about a significant increase in tuition fees.

Category winners will receive a range of prizes including a state-of-the-art iPad. The winner of the further education category will also receive a two-week expenses-paid internship at one of Teach First’s regional offices in London, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham or Birmingham. They will be mentored by Teach First founder and CEO Brett Wigdortz and will provide support on policy related projects. The winner of the higher education category will also receive a three-week paid placement at a Teach First regional office (as above) where they will also receive mentoring from Brett Wigdortz and work to develop the competition entries into a compelling multi-media collection.

A sticker campaign is being used on campuses across the country to draw students’ attention to the competition and its link to the work carried out by the charity.

Teach First Talent Officer Malachi McIntosh said, ‘At Teach First we are going directly to source to draw out the wealth of innovative ideas that students possess. For them education isn’t theoretical; it’s their day-to-day reality. Because of this, we feel that students are the people best-placed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our current system and to recommend change.’

The closing date is 01 December 2010. To enter the competition please visit What would you change?