Local SNP candidate for Renfrewshire North and West has welcomed the announcement from the SNP that they will provide a £20 million Summer Student Support Hardship Fund to help students who cannot find work and do not receive discretionary funds through the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) during the summer months. Last year the Scottish Government provided £11.4 million that was made available to students that found themselves in financial difficulty due to COVID.
It comes amid rapidly growing concern over the situation faced by those doing university and college courses. Earlier this year, the National Union for Students (NUS) highlighted that as many as 14 per cent of students had been turning to foodbanks due to the pandemic. A survey published by NUS also found that three in five respondents said COVID was having some degree of impact upon their income.
This funding will be followed by a review of the future of summer student support in general. This announcement came as part of the SNP’s 100 days action plan. The 100 days plan sets out the key actions to be taken as a new government eases COVID restrictions in Scotland, the initial steps an SNP government will take for NHS recovery, how an SNP government will protect jobs, and action to support children and young people.
SNP candidate Natalie Don said:
“As the SNP continue to prioritise improving the attainment gap in Scotland, providing this summer support for students is a really positive step towards achieving this. Not all students have access to the bank of mum or dad and not all students have the capability to take up training opportunities in the summer as they simply cannot afford to do so. I believe this puts some students at a disadvantage based on their financial situation rather than actual learning ability. People access further education at different stages in life and the reality is that due to a lack of summer financial support many students drop out of college or university.
“Studying can be one of the most stressful times of our lives and students should be able to stress over essays and exams not over housing benefit or universal credit. Many students find themselves in debt over the summer months and when they get their SAAS payment at the start of term to buy books and learning materials the harsh reality many students find themselves in is paying back loans or landlords.
“This funding has been implemented due to the pandemic and the sudden awareness that students cannot apply for certain benefits between terms. It should never be assumed that a student can just simply find a job as this is not guaranteed and has become even more difficult due to COVID.
“I was really pleased to see that a review of the future of student summer support is planned in the SNP’s very sensible 100 days action plan to lead Scotland’s recovery. As a long time campaigner for this support through my time at university it means a great deal to me to see this summer support maintained and if elected I would like to highlight the need for this funding to be made permanent for Scotland’s students.”
