Half of colleges do not have sufficient funds to meet demand for financial support for students, research by National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland has found. A third of colleges have spent all their allocated bursary money.
The research follows Government announcements earlier this month of £11 million cuts in support funding to colleges, reducing the current budget of approximately £96 million to £84 million from August, the Herald Scotland reports.
“I can confirm we will guarantee the additional funding for bursaries, not just for next year, but for the full four-year parliament,” said The SNP Government’s inaugural minister for Children and Young People, Angela Constance, said, when she was Skills Minister, last February.
The Scottish Funding Council’s budget for bursaries, childcare and discretionary funding was set at £95.6 million for 2011-12 and the NUS Scotland says ministers are now reneging on their pledge for this parliament by reversing the increase.
“These figures are incredibly worrying as they show that even the current budget is not enough to meet demand from the poorest students who are hoping to go to college. This year we’ve relied on college reserves but next year, given the cuts institutions are also facing, we won’t be able to do that” said Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland. The SNP’s manifesto was clearly right in May to promise to protect this budget throughout the parliament, but they are now absolutely wrong to be proposing an £11m cut.”
The President added: “At a time of high unemployment, and youth unemployment in particular, this drastic cut to student support could price people out of college, and force them on to benefits, undermining the Government’s own efforts to tackle youth unemployment in Scotland.”
However, a Scottish Government Spokesman insists ministers are maintaining student numbers and college student support.
“The Cabinet Secretary made clear in his letter to colleges that delivery is based on published Scottish Funding Council baselines for last year. There is no scope for misinterpretation.”
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By Olivia Bamber
