The opening hours of the Student Award Agency for Scotland’s helpline will be extended to provide answers for students concerned about the progress of their application, Education Secretary Michael Russell has announced. The news comes after it was revealed yesterday that thousands of students are still awaiting grants and loans for basic living expenses weeks into the new term.
The government has reacted to student leaders’ concerns over delays. Speaking yesterday Robin Parker, president of National Union of Students Scotland, said: “The agency’s staff are no doubt working hard in difficult circumstances, but the Scottish government needs to investigate why students will still be waiting for their support payments in November, and look very closely at providing the additional resources SAAS would need to process applications quicker.
“Students who have not received support funding have every right to be upset, and are absolutely right to expect a better level of service. Many students rely on this funding to afford their education, and could struggle to remain at university without this much-needed support.”
Experienced staff from other teams have now been drafted in to work with contact centre staff to boost the helpline and to provide a weekday service from 8am. The helpline will also open this weekend to make sure the applications backlog is cleared as quickly as possible.
The government has said that all current outstanding applications will be cleared by next week. Education Secretary Michael Russell said: “I understand how vital living support is to students and the uncertainty outstanding applications can cause. That is why I have asked SAAS to pull out all the stops and ensure the remaining four per cent of late applications are dealt with urgently.
“These increased opening hours will ensure students can get access to help and information when it is most convenient. We also have confirmation that current outstanding applications will be processed by the end of next week.
“A further 1,000 applications have been cleared since yesterday alone. We will continue to work with the agency to ensure progress is sustained and the applications that continue to be received are dealt with as quickly as possible.”
For further information contact:
Student Awards Agency for Scotland or call the SAAS Helpline on 0300 555 0505
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