Today, the Mental Health Foundation has published research into the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland’s college students. The shocking report shows that unfortunately students are anything but thriving.
College students were asked in the Spring of this year to complete a survey which asked them a series of questions about their mental health and life experiences. More than 2,000 college students across Scotland took part.
The findings will compel us to press for more effective and targeted support from the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Government, while also looking at what additional steps we can take to protect our students, including building stronger partnerships with NHS mental health services and third sector organisations in order to co-ordinate support activity.
The study found that almost two thirds of college students (64%) in Scotland had low wellbeing, more than half of students surveyed (54%) reported having moderate, moderately severe, or severe symptoms of depression, and more than one third (37%) experienced food insecurity in the previous 12 months. This survey has brought the scale of that into sharp relief, there is undoubtedly a connection between poverty and mental health.
As a principal, I see this every day at my own college. Some of the students I talk to are persevering with their studies through their own health challenges, caring responsibilities, and the financial juggle to make ends meet.
The more support we can give students, the more we are helping them to achieve their potential, improve their opportunities, and ultimately, change their lives. Our students deserve this investment, and we will continue to do our utmost to ensure that it is received.
Unfortunately, some of the funds that allowed colleges to have such beneficial mental health support systems in place are not available for the next academic year and the Scottish Government’s long-term investment in counsellors will end in 2023. With the end of this investment looming and the sector already facing severe financial challenges, we have not been given reassurance as to how this increased (and highly valued by students) capacity of counselling services will be sustained.
Where do we go from here? As the Lead Principal for Mental Health in the college sector, I want to see sustained long term funding for mental health services in our colleges to enable us to safeguard the mental health of our students and staff. This is a strategic priority of every institution in Scotland. It is vital that this priority is matched by Scottish Government investment. This will also allow us to deliver on the ambitions to be set out the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy and Student Mental Health Action Plan.
The wellbeing of students is the number one priority of every college and, only by better understanding the challenges and problems they face, very often at moments of real crisis, can we act effectively to support them better including through this cost-of-living crisis and provide them with the levels of effective support they deserve.
Jon Vincent is the principal of Glasgow Clyde College
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