Dear Fiona,
At the last election your manifesto promised to replace the student loans system with "means-tested student grants" and to remove "the burden of the debt repayments owed to the Student Loans Company by Scottish domiciled and resident graduates". This would have cost nearly £2bn to implement. In comparison, only £30m has been set aside for student support next year.
We believe that the government has not grasped that student hardship is the overriding priority for students in Scotland. The actions taken by the Government in its two years, to abolish the graduate endowment and provide grants to part time students, while useful for those that have benefited, have focused only on reducing debt for graduates rather than helping students while they actually study. With student hardship levels increasing and the economic downturn beginning to impact on students, as it is families across Scotland, it is time for a re-think.
It is beyond doubt that there has been a large increase in hardship at university and college campuses across Scotland. Student support levels have fallen far behind the rest of the UK, with hardship funds and funds for childcare in Scotland stretched to breaking point.
The student support system in Scotland is failing to meet the needs of students. The maximum level of support for most students in Scotland is over a third less than the maximum for students from elsewhere in the UK. Many groups of students are being let down, and the Scottish Government has so far failed to act. Improving the student support system is complex and will involve joint working within the parliament, Scotland and the UK. However, the resources currently set aside are wholly insufficient to deliver what was promised. Furthermore, the options proposed by the Scottish Government in its consultation fail to maximise the impact of the funds available.
We believe that you should look at new proposals that would focus the available funds far better. These should be based on the following principles: A £7000 minimum income, or as close as possible to it, for the poorest students. Focusing resources on tackling student hardship, not graduate debt. Increasing the availability of student loans. Addressing students' continuing reliance on commercial credit. Increasing funds available for hardship and childcare funding, looking at the potential for reform.
We believe the Scottish Government, by limiting the scope of its consultation on student support, has let down students and failed to listen or react to their needs. We call on the Scottish Government to address student hardship - including increasing student loans - to address students' reliance on commercial credit, and to increase funding for hardship and childcare funds.
This letter should act as a wakeup call for Scotland. The Scottish Government must take a new direction and we stand ready to work with you to help students through this difficult time. We hope that you see past political differences, listen to the concerns of the students we have heard loud and clear and act to tackle student hardship in Scotland.
Yours sincerely,
Gurjit Singh, president, National Union of Students Scotland; Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative Party; Claire Baker, Scottish Labour Party; Margaret Smith, Scottish Liberal Democrats Universities: Ruth Bush, Heriot-Watt ; Neil Campbell, Strathclyde; David Devlin, West of Scotland; Carys Evans, Napier; Rio Floreza, Queen Margaret; Paddy Hastie, Glasgow Caledonian; Gavin Herron, Abertay; Andrew Keenan, St Andrews; Gavin Lee, Glasgow; David MacLeod, Dundee; Barry McAleer, RSAMD; Duncan McKay, Aberdeen; Liondsaidh Mitchell, University of the Highlands and Islands; Ross Murchison, Robert Gordon University; Adam Ramsay, Edinburgh; Tom Spencer, Stirling Colleges: Kathy Spoz, Central ; Lorna Whittle, Orkney; Abifaran Babatunde, Stevenson; Claire Blyth, Jewel & Esk ; Eleanor Brown, Kilmarnock; Jessie Buchanan, Edinburgh College of Art; Executive Committee, Telford ; Executive Committee, Sabhal Mór Ostaign; Sarah Gibbons, Glasgow Metropolitan; Alana Johnstone, Aberdeen
