FUNDING ENSURES ACCESS TO EDUCATION FOR ALL
Christina McKelvie MSP has welcomed the announcement of a new package of student funding by Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop, which will see Scotland’s mature or “independent” students are to benefit by over £1000.
The SNP MSP for Central Scotland hailed the news which ensures education is an option for all and sees those most affected by recession gaining the biggest helping hand with grants of £1000 introduced for those over 25 or who have previously been in employment and £2 million set aside to support students with children. Independent students have previously only had access to loans.
The Scottish Government has also agreed with the NUS to increase the amount available to all students through loans. In total 75,900 students will have access to increased support.
Ms McKelvie, who is a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee, said:
“Today’s announcement ensures education under an SNP Government is accessible to all.
“That is why we scrapped the student tuition fee introduced by Labour and that is why today’s announcement will see funding directed to independent students and student parents.
“A £1000 grant for 14,000 independent students, £2 million for childcare as well as access to the same loan support for independent students as for young students will make a real difference to many hard working older students and student parents who are turning to education to ensure job security in the future.
“Importantly this money will help those studying for HNC’s at our colleges as part of retraining in response to the recession, as well as those taking degrees at our universities.
“Along with the increase in support for young students this is great news for students in Scotland’s colleges and universities who are working hard to gain the education and skills that will help them see out this recession and build jobs for the future.
“Today’s announcement is a real step forward, ensuring independent students have the funding to access education and putting the role of our colleges and universities at the heart of economic recovery.”
The announcement is a £30m package for the 2010-11 academic year. This potentially benefits full-time students on HNC/HND, undergraduate or teacher training courses – 75,900 in total.
A £1,000 grant for mature (“independent”) students. Students are in this category if at the start of their course they are over 25, have been supporting themselves for three years, or are married/in a civil partnership. This will benefit 14,000 students. They had previously only been entitled to loans. This is particularly important at a time of economic difficulty when people may be considering retraining.
A £2m increase in support for childcare. This will be paid to colleges and universities themselves to distribute to students with childcare responsibilities. This was requested by NUS following reports of unusually high strain on the existing funds in the last year. The Scottish Government and NUS will now explore moving to a nationally-standardised entitlement model and away from discretionary payments by institutions.
£622 extra up-front payment. The basic student loan will be increased by £442. The additional loan top-up, which is particularly targeted at students from the lowest income backgrounds (<£18,300 per year), will be increased by £180. This loan will also be extended to independent students for the first time, giving them equality with parentally-dependent students in this regard.
In total this increases the core student funding package to £5,852 for the next academic year. This is an increase from £4,625 for independent students and £5,230 for parentally-dependent students. This is the largest one-year increase in up-front support since devolution.