Students experiencing hardship over summer as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) can apply for financial support if they are struggling to meet accommodation and other costs.
Backed by £20 million of new funding, students in financial hardship can apply directly to their college or university’s Coronavirus Discretionary Fund.
The Scottish Government has also committed to review the future of summer support and the availability of funds will be monitored to ensure support remain available to students throughout summer.
This latest funding package takes total support for students since the start of the pandemic to more than £96 million.
Higher and Further Education Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The pandemic has impacted students significantly and not only has there been disruption to their education, but many students have faced financial difficulties with accommodation, associated costs or challenges in getting jobs. This additional £20 million will help to alleviate the financial pressure and stress facing many of our students over the summer period.
“The Student Hardship Task Force have been a crucial voice in ensuring students are supported this summer and I thank them for their important work.
“The support provided to students over the course of the pandemic has been substantial with now over £96 million being provided via hardship funding, digital access, mental health support and for student associations.”
NUS Scotland President Matt Crilly said: “We welcome additional discretionary funding for students today and that the Scottish Government has recognised the dire situation facing students this summer.
“Many students have already lost crucial part-time jobs, most have received their final student support payment, and are not eligible for Universal Credit, which is why today’s announcement of a summer support review is particularly welcome. We need to see a year-round student support system that ensures no student falls through the cracks and is driven out of education and into poverty.”
International students are to be included in the national coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has confirmed this will take place in line with guidelines from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for the coming academic year (2021-22).
The move will both protect incoming students during their studies and prevent possible further transmission.
Mr Yousaf said: “There is a huge amount of work going on to ensure that everyone is able to get vaccinated. This is crucial to the success of the programme and our efforts to bring the virus under control.
“Based on the latest data, we estimate there could be around 65,000 international students studying in Scotland in the next academic year. I am pleased to confirm they will be included in our national vaccination programme.
“Of course many will be from countries where there is a mature vaccination system and they will already be fully or partially vaccinated. However, some may not yet have been vaccinated or may still require a second dose and we are currently working with the Universities and Colleges Scotland as well as local health boards to firm up plans for these students.
“We continue to urge everyone to take up their appointment for a vaccine when it is offered and remember the second dose offers greater and longer protection against the virus.”
Universities Scotland Director Alastair Sim said: “International students are an integral part of Scotland’s university community. As a part of that community, it’s absolutely vital that they have the same entitlement to a COVID-19 vaccination as other students and we welcome the clarity for international students that the Scottish Government has provided.
“Vaccination is the best route back to normality. For international students arriving in Scotland over the coming months, it is crucial that they know that they will receive all the help they require to stay safe during these uncertain times. Being eligible for a vaccine is an important part of that sense of security and wellbeing.”
Colleges Scotland Chief Executive Shona Struthers said: “We’re pleased to see the expansion of the vaccination programme to international students.
“Colleges welcome international students from around the world every year – we want them to feel safe and protected while they live and study in Scotland, and the community around them to be confident that students have had the opportunity to be vaccinated while they are in Scotland.”
Additional guidance has been published for those living in student households after new measures were announced last week to protect the population from the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead has written to college and university principals and student accommodation provider networks to set out the new guidance. It has been developed in consultation with the National Union of Students Scotland and Universities Scotland.
The guidance is intended to address questions from students and encourages them to remain on campus if they are able to do so. It outlines what students can and cannot do and what they need to think about if they are considering a return home on a permanent basis.
This includes where students are isolating and require support to allow them to comply with the requirement to self-isolate. Under the guidance, the household students are returning to are asked to also self-isolate and states that public transport should not be used.
Mr Lochhead said: “Our priority is to try and keep people safe from a virus that, even for young people, can do a lot of damage to physical health.
“We would encourage students to remain living in their current accommodation where they are able to, so they can continue to benefit from both a blend of digital and in-person learning, where that is possible and the opportunity to engage with others, within the restrictions, to build new networks and to make new friends.
“However, we know that many students may be struggling with the prospect of not being able to return home to visit family and other support networks, especially if is the first time in their life they have been away from home.
“Knowing what to consider in deciding whether to return home will help support wellbeing and enable students to make informed choices, but it is important to stress that adjusting to life away from home is always challenging.
“And, as the First Minister has made clear, we are strongly advising that students do not visit pubs and restaurants for the remainder of this weekend.
“I’d like to thank students for playing their role at this very difficult time when they are trying to benefit from further and higher education against a backdrop of a global pandemic.”
Responding to the updated guidance, NUS Scotland said: “Today’s guidance provides welcome clarity to the students in halls, who will be considering their next steps.
“We welcome that students will be able to return home on a permanent basis.
“However, we are disappointed that the government continues to talk up in-person teaching, which may keep students on campus and increase risks unnecessarily. We continue to call on the Scottish Government to strengthen teaching guidance so remote learning is the default, and a reality for as many students as possible.
“We recognise that some students may want to return to halls at a later date. We would welcome this opportunity to be open to them, so long as it is safe to do so.
“Students can, by law, end their student accommodation contracts by serving notice for Covid-19 related reasons. We’re calling for institutions and private providers to go further. This isn’t what students signed up for. If students want to end their contracts and return home, they should be fully refunded. And if they wish to defer study, they should be supported to do so.
“For those who wish to remain in halls, they must be provided with first-class support from their institutions – including practical support like food deliveries, as well as mental health and wellbeing support. They deserve nothing less.
“We also welcome guidance for students who may need to return home because they require the support of a friend, family member or other supportive person, to allow them to comply with the requirement to self-isolate.”
The body representing Scottish universities said student welfare must be a priority.
Responding to the additional guidance, Professor Gerry McCormac, Convener of Universities Scotland and Principal of the University of Stirling said:“With the support of their universities, students need to choose what is right for their own physical and mental health.
“Unfortunately the current situation with this pandemic means these choices do need to be balanced within the wider public health context. There is a real benefit, we believe, in staying at university this semester and benefiting from the blend of both digital and in-person learning and the wider range of services and support that is available.
“The Scottish Government’s additional guidance about households puts the emphasis on staying within existing households and avoiding overnight stays elsewhere for now, but not at the expense of an individual’s wellbeing. It also makes clear that a change of household is possible but offers guidance to limit this to cases where a change then become the person’s main or only residence on a long-term basis.
“It has been a very difficult start to the new academic year for the entire student community, both those returning to university and in particular, those attending for the first time. It is particularly worrying for the students who have tested positive for COVID-19 and for those who have been asked to isolate to protect other students, staff and the local community.
“A great deal has been asked of students in recent times so that the transmission of the virus can be limited, but the prevalence of this virus has been increasing for several weeks and while students have been severely affected, the responsibility for this increase does not just lie with them.
“Nonetheless we must do all we can to curtail the spreads of this deadly disease while ensuring students and staff are fully supported. Universities are providing practical, emotional and financial support to students and every student should feel able to reach out and ask for any support they need – we’re here for you.
“We’re all facing unprecedented challenges whilst trying to protect education as a priority, second only to public health. In institutions, student leaders have been and continue to be a key part of the planning process for managing the virus and there is wide support for the actions taken.
“Looking ahead, the student voice will be a key part of discussions regarding how to manage the approach to the rest of the academic year. Actions taken now to reduce the spread of this disease will help ensure we can integrate further with each other and our loved ones as we head towards the Christmas break.”
Students caught up in serious Covid outbreaks in Scotland’s university cities have questioned why university halls were allowed to open. The students have been told not to visit pubs or restaurants this weekend or to return home after hundreds of students across the country tested positive for coronavirus.
Following the outbreak of positive cases of coronavirus in student accommodation in parts of Scotland, university Principals met with the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead, to discuss what further measures and messages could be emphasised to stop the spread of the virus.
Commenting after the meeting, Convener of Universities Scotland, Professor Gerry McCormac said: “University leaders share the Scottish Government’s complete commitment to keeping the student population and the wider community safe.
“We have already implemented strict measures to ensure the safety of the university environment, both for teaching and for student residences. We have seen the majority of students live up to our expectations of responsible behaviour, but a minority have not. Everyone across the nation shares the concern at seeing students in residences test positive for the virus and we will act decisively to deal with this.
“The additional actions we will take to drive down the transmission of the virus in student accommodation build on the wide-ranging measures already agreed with Scottish Government. Taken together, we are confident that these will help significantly to control the virus in student accommodation and impact on the number of positive cases; after the inevitable time-lag caused by some existing cases not yet being symptomatic.
“Our top priority to making sure that students that have tested positive and those quarantining are well-supported and ready to return to their studies. We appreciate this isn’t what students would have expected from their first few weeks at university, but it is critical that they play their part in suppressing the virus.”
The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead MSP, said: “This is a welcome package of additional actions, building on the clear guidance that is already in place, to support all students and staff adhere to the rules and stay safe as they make a welcome return to study.
“We expect everyone to comply with public health advice and, as new laws come into force tomorrow, it’s even more important institutions make every effort to ensure the rules are understood and followed – and appropriate actions are taken if not. We know that these are difficult times for many students and we are grateful to them for the sacrifices they are making to protect themselves, their fellow students and the wider community.”
Universities have agreed that:
All universities will make absolutely clear to students that there must be no parties, and no socialising outside their households – communicating and reinforcing these messages on a regular basis using our full range of media channels. Breaches will not be tolerated.
This weekend, the first of the new tighter Scottish Government guidance, we will require students to avoid all socialising outside of their households and outside of their accommodation. We will ask them not to go to bars or other hospitality venues. We will be clear that this is a necessary step at this crucial moment of managing the virus in the student population, to protect students and the wider community.
We will increase the staff presence in student accommodation, to be vigilant against any breaches of guidance and also to offer welfare and practical support to students who are experiencing isolation.
We will engage further with private providers of student accommodation, especially those with significant numbers of bedspaces, to follow our lead and strictly enforce guidance.
We will intensify our institutions’ liaison with Police Scotland, to ensure vigilance about student behaviour off-campus and in private accommodation.
We will take a strict ‘Yellow Card/Red Card’ approach to breaches of student discipline that put students and others at risk. While we first want to advise students about breaches of discipline, we will not hesitate to escalate this to disciplinary action including potential discontinuation of study.
We will commit to further agile staff responses to immediately respond to cases, to help manage the pressures on the public health authorities.
We will require all students to download the Protect Scotland app.
Taking forward these actions we will work very closely with the students’ association of each institution.
Every student who needs a test is able to get one. To further develop the testing system we will continue to work closely with the Scottish and UK Governments on the roll-out of walk-through testing centres in major centres of student population. Where these have been established, they have been a great help to having fast and accessible testing and quick action to contain the spread of the virus. We will are also in discussion with the UK and Scottish Governments about increased availability of home testing in universities.
Responding to updated guidelines for students announced last night by university principals and endorsed by the Scottish Government, Matt Crilly, NUS Scotland President, said: “The announcement by Universities Scotland, and endorsed by the Scottish Government, unfairly blames students for the spread of coronavirus and takes the unjustified step of applying different rules to students over and above the rest of the adult population.
“These measures are deeply concerning – not least to those students who rely on income from hospitality jobs. Having different rules for students makes it even more confusing to stay within guidance, which could make things less safe. And the rules show a complete disregard for students’ mental health and wellbeing. We need better.
“To protect students and communities, we’re calling for targeted support for students who are isolating, for online learning to be the default position, and for students to be given the opportunity to return home without penalty when it is safe to do so.
“The recent outbreak is extremely concerning, and like everyone we students must comply with the public health guidance. It is important to remember that students were strongly encouraged to return to campus, leaving families and support networks behind.
“Like everyone else, students are anxious. We ask the university principals and the Scottish Government to refrain from singling out students and to provide urgent clarity on these measures and their impact on students.”
