Ministers urged to set date for minimum student income
Ministers should set a date for bringing in a minimum student income of more than £8,000 a year which could double support for some of the poorest students, Labour has said.
The Scottish Parliament voted to introduce a minimum student income last month following a Labour-led debate.
Now, following the non-binding vote, the party has called for clarification on when it will be implemented.
The recommendation for a minimum income of £8,100, linked to the Scottish Government’s living wage, was a key part of an independent review of student support published in November 2017.
With the increase in the living wage to £9 an hour, this would now be £8,550, and is recommended to be provided through a mixture of loans and means-tested bursaries.
For too many, getting to university and college is only the beginning of the struggle.
It’s time our students got the financial support they need.
RT if you agree with Scottish Labour’s plans for a Minimum Student Income👇https://t.co/5O9T0sGhQSpic.twitter.com/pLXk7K4TFK
— Scottish Labour (@scottishlabour) March 23, 2019
College students in Scotland are currently not eligible for student loans and the maximum bursary award is around £4,000 a year, meaning some of the poorest students would have financial support doubled by the plans.
Scottish Labour’s education spokesman Iain Gray said: “A minimum student income could double the financial support available to the poorest students in further education.
“That would be a fair deal, as opposed to the raw deal they get just now.”
He added: “This plan is straight from the Government’s own independent review.
“Labour has already forced the Government to accept the recommendation – ministers must now outline a clear timetable of when students will get more money in their pockets.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We support the ambition set out in the Student Support Review to achieve a minimum income for students, however significant investment is required to make this happen.
“We have already begun to implement this by increasing the care-experienced bursary to £8,100 per year and we are providing students in further education with record levels of support – £111 million in 2018-19.
“This represents a real-terms increase of 33% since 2006-07, giving further education students in Scotland the best level of bursary anywhere in the UK.”