Hard-hit students only get half cash they need

Published on Tuesday 1 December 2009 21:59

COLLEGES are to be given an extra £11.9 million to cope with increased demand from students facing hardship due to the recession.

However, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) admitted the money will only meet around 56 per cent of the extra 21.3m which colleges say they need.

Critics warned it was "simply not enough" and said there was a crisis in college student funding.

The SFC said every college would receive the first 100,000 of the amount they requested, with the remaining funds allocated proportionately. Only two colleges were allocated the full amount requested, while others will only receive around half.

Lews Castle, in Stornoway, was successful in its bid for 44,000 as was Moray College in Elgin, which asked for 50,000. But they were the only two of the 37 colleges which requested additional funding to ask for under 100,000.

The greatest amounts were requested in some of Scotland's most deprived areas such as Edinburgh's Telford College in Granton, which asked for 1.6m.

It received just over a half of that amount, 805,373, while the next largest request was made by James Watt College in Greenock which requested just under 1.6m and received 803,492.

Liam Burns, National Union of Students Scotland President, said: "While this additional funding is welcome, it's simply not enough.

"College students are facing cuts to their support or worse still colleges across Scotland are closing their doors to new students."

He said the current funding system was not fit for purpose and called for it to be reviewed.

The money, to be distributed later this month, will be used to provide bursaries, childcare support and discretionary funds to help learners up to, but not including, HNC level with the financial challenges of attending college.

Students must apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland for financial support.

Mark Batho, SFC chief executive, described the demand for student support funding as "volatile" in the present climate.

He said: "The funding council fully recognises the pressure that this is putting on colleges and we have sought, through this package, to provide as much help as we can from the resources that are available to us.

"While we have been unable to meet the pressures in full, I am pleased that we have, through re-prioritising other expenditure, been able to provide a substantial package of support to colleges."

Last year, an extra 10.4m was given for student support after huge demand, but that met only 51 per cent of the extra cash colleges had asked for.

Linda McTavish, principals' convener of Scotland's Colleges, described the cash as "welcome help" for students.

She said:

"Whilst this doesn't meet all college's requests for additional funding, it does go a considerable way to helping colleges meet increased demand caused by the current recession."