CHILDREN’S minister, Sarah Teather, was grilled on tuition fees, foreign policy and youth unemployment by sixth form politics students at a Wembley school this morning.

The Minister for Children and Families was invited to Copland School, in Cecil Avenue, to talk to students about her job and her role in the Coalition Government.

Asked about tuition fees, Ms Teather said Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, had taken the “full force” of public anger surrounding the subject.

She said: “It’s much easier in opposition. You get something done by yelling about it. You don’t do that in Government.

“Nick Clegg is very single-minded and very capable of getting things done. I know that at the moment he’s taken the public opposition to what’s happening (with tuition fees).

“Everybody thinks its Nick Clegg’s fault. In the long term, people will see the difference and see what he’s actually delivered.

“Eventually the stories about how he fought behind the scenes will get out.”

A question was raised regarding the news that Prime Minister David Cameron has offered £650 million over four years in overseas funding to Pakistan.

Ms Teather backed the proposal and said: “Despite things being difficult here we are jolly lucky we are a good deal luckier than many other countries.

“Even when things are tough we ought to be continue supporting countries who are struggling.

“If we don’t protect and support them you are much more likely to have problems with terrorism and extremism that will then affect our own shores.

“Pakistan has had some tough times. There are people in Pakistan who don’t support the government and want to overthrow the government through means that are not democracy.

“There has been a lot of violence there.”

Ms Teather added after the event: “It was a really good session and the students had well-constructed questions and a good understanding of what they were asking about.”

Student and organiser Miski Omar, 17, said: “It all went really well. We got a petition together to get Sarah to visit us and it was good to hear her views.”

Head of the politics department, teacher Phil Allman, said: “We’ve had Barry Gardiner MP (Brent North) before and we will be having an MEP visiting soon.

“I think it’s important that students meet politicians like Sarah and I think the students did very well today in their questions.

“Sarah was very informative and very passionate about what she does.”