80,000 students write to Scottish Government in protest over college funding cuts

MORE than 80,000 e-mails have been sent to MSPs calling for a reversal in the Scottish Government’s decision to cut funding for those studying at the country’s colleges.

MORE than 80,000 e-mails have been sent to MSPs calling for a reversal in the Scottish Government’s decision to cut funding for those studying at the country’s colleges.

The campaign by the National Union of Students (NUS) is aimed at convincing ministers to change their minds over a proposed £11 million cut to student support.

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Over 10,000 students have signed up to the campaign, each sending an e-mail to their constituency MSP and seven list MSPs.

Robin Parker, president of NUS Scotland, said: “Students across the country have put in countless hours meeting MSPs, holding rallies and signing people up to the Our Future Our Fight campaign, to make sure that the voice of college students is heard loud and clear. This is an unbelievable achievement and reflects the strength of feeling on this subject across Scotland.

“With college bursary budgets already overstretched this year, the Scottish Government is planning to spend £11m less on support for the poorest students next year. That’s money that ensures students can afford to stay in education, rather than add to the already too high numbers of youth in the dole queue.”

Last week, the Scottish Funding Council, which hands out money to colleges and universities on behalf of the Scottish Government, announced that no college would see its overall teaching budget cut by more than 8.5 per cent. The body also confirmed that overall student numbers would be maintained.