Scotland's poorest students need more help, say parties

Published on Monday 11 May 2009 22:11

EVERY student in Scotland should be able to borrow £200 more and the poorest 20,000 be given an extra £500 in grants, opposition parties have said.

Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives created a joint submission to consultation on how 30 million should be spent. It follows a letter, sent by the parties and NUS Scotland president Gurjit Singh, to education secretary Fiona Hyslop last week.

It said student hardship in Scotland was far worse than in England and called for the amount Scots can borrow in student loans to be increased.

All four support a minimum income guarantee of 7,000, in a mixture of loans and grants.

They believe the SNP's election manifesto vow to swap loans for grants would not be adequate, even if they had fulfilled it, as it would still not provide enough to live on.

The most a Scottish student can currently borrow is 4,510 compared to 6,200 in England. With part-time jobs drying up, students are increasingly reliant on debt, and reports suggest they are being forced to turn to high-cost private loans.

Claire Baker, Labour's higher education spokeswoman, said: "The SNP have failed to grasp the fact student hardship is the overriding concern for students in Scotland."

Murdo Fraser, the Tory education spokesman, said: "The level of student loans on offer means that many students have no choice but to seek borrowing from credit card companies at punitive rates."

Margaret Smith, the Lib Dems' education spokeswoman said: "Scottish ministers need to wake up to the financial dire straits students are in and take action now. Many students are living below the poverty line."

The consultation period has now closed.