Union urges ministers to axe rule on college students’ attendance

Scotland’s student leaders are calling for the Scottish Government to scrap a system which threatens college students with having their bursaries cut under a “100 per cent” attendance rule.

A year-long independent review of student support, headed by Jayne-anne Gadhia, chief executive officer of Virgin Money, recommended all Scottish students should have equal access to financial help and be able to apply for high-quality student loans.

But Luke Humberstone, president of the National Union of Students Scotland, said Ms Gadhia’s recommendation, made in November, were “unfair, unworkable and in urgent need of reform.”

Currently, the attendance rule can lead to college students losing their £95 weekly bursary payments administered by colleges – but university students are awarded loans and do not incur the same financial penalties if they are absent from class.

NUS Scotland has highlighted that the system is causing anxiety and financial difficulties for students from a wide range of backgrounds, including those with children or other family care commitments.

Difficulties are exacerbated by colleges using different criteria when dealing with absences, with some allowing more absences over the same timescale.

The union has commissioned a survey asking students how they are affected by the attendance rule.

One said: “My attendance had dropped below 100 per cent due to ongoing issues at home, I’d taken classes off to either visit my mum in hospital or to look after my eightmonth-old daughter, however hadn’t had the time to selfcertify my absence.”

Another said: “I was marked absent for a class although I was not absent.”

Some students talked about the impact of having funding withheld, saying “it makes me struggle to come to college”.

Mr Humberstone said: “For too many college students across the country vital bursary support is being cut because of punitive attendance policies. It’s unfair, unworkable and in urgent need of reform.

“We heard of students having their support cut because of illness, caring responsibilities, and even basic administrative errors.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We will carefully consider all the findings of this review, including the recommendations about the attendance criteria.

“Under the Scottish Funding Council’s policy, students are expected to have full attendance. However, it allows for authorised and self-certificated absences in a wide range of circumstances.”