Campaign groups rallied outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 1 February to demand the Scottish Government take urgent action to address the cost-of-living crisis and its effects on students.
Wednesday’s rally was spearheaded by the National Union of Students Scotland (NUS Scotland), which has been petitioning the Scottish Parliament to provide urgent support for students during the cost-of-living crisis.
The University and College Union (UCU), Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA), and representatives from various Scottish universities were all also in attendance outside Holyrood.
The petition demands half-price rail travel for students, a rent freeze until effective rent controls can be introduced, and an increase to grants and bursaries in line with inflation.
Isi Williams, EUSA’s Vice President Community, echoed the sentiments of the petition in explaining what she is lobbying for:
“The first thing is half-price travel for all trains and buses so that students who are commuting can get to their classes.”
EUSA also want the ongoing rent freeze to continue, which is due to lift for student accommodation in March.
“The third thing is more funding for hardship … [the government] cut the £20 billion funding that was happening for covid and we think that should still be upheld.”
NUS Scotland president Ellie Gomersall stated: “The Scottish Government have lifted the rent cap on student accommodation entirely, leading to increased mental health issues.”
Gomersall continued to describe the lifting of the rent freeze as a “direct attack on students.”
She also highlighted how the attainment gap between lower and higher income households in Scotland is widening, adding: “as much as one-third of students in Scotland have considered dropping out due to financial issues.”
Speakers for the Campaign for Affordable Student Housing (CASH), a Scottish student housing campaign group, highlighted the systemic nature of the issues facing students.
They said that an increase in resources for students was dependent on the universities and student loan bodies having better funding, which can only come from policies within the government.
CASH speakers also pointed out that Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) is lagging by as much as 16 years and needs to bring maintenance allowances in line with inflation.
Speakers for the group also drew attention to the rent increases seen in student towns without a rent cap, claiming that some students have been forced into “living in tents, and a boat in the harbour.”
The effects this has had on student mental health have been devastating, with CASH reporting attempted suicides in St. Andrews.
Familiar stories to the housing crisis in St. Andrews exist in other student towns and cities, as Sam Maccallum, EUSA’s Vice President Education said:
“I’d love to just focus on education but I just can’t do that because we’ve got 12 per cent of students in Scotland that have been homeless during their studies.
“Time and time again, the UCU are the people who stand up for us when maybe the university and the government doesn’t … they’re the people who care about our education.”
A UCU member at the University of Edinburgh said that staff and students are “not two different camps … but we are both exploited in different ways.”
Michael Marra, Labour MSP for Northeast Scotland, spoke at the rally about the “fundamental right to strike” and how the Conservative government in Westminster is encroaching on this right, saying:
“Negotiations have ground to a halt, we’ve had silence from the government, the system in Scotland is broken.”
Marra also added that “There’s been no increase in funds for students in 13 years”, and emphasised his support for students and striking staff.
NUS Scotland wished to highlight the effect the cost-of-living crisis was having on low-income and international students.
A report from the Scottish government in 2018 found 22 per cent of all higher education students were domiciled outside the UK, compared to 19 per cent across the rest of the UK.
This percentage was higher still in some universities, including 33.4 per cent at the University of Edinburgh and 45 per cent of students and staff at St. Andrews.
International students pay higher tuition fees than students domiciled outside Scotland in the UK, being responsible for as £35,000 a year for select courses.
NUS Scotland emphasised the need for grants and bursaries that are accessible to international students since many are ineligible for UK grants and loans or have insufficient financial support from their domicile homes.
“Scottish Parliament Building” by Iain Russell is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.