Students set for just £ 7 from £ 5m digital fund
A£ 5MILLION digital cash boost for l e a r n i n g o f f campus will see Glasgow univer s i t ie s receive as little as £ 7.30 per student – despite up to £ 350 being available.
Earlier this year the Scottish Government announced it would provide the funds to colleges and higher education institutions to help students who needed financial support to enable them to study remotely.
However, analysis of the figures shows some universities have been given as little as £ 1.40 per student, with the highest amount just £ 20.30 per head.
In the city, the amount allocated varies from as low as £ 7.30 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( RCS), up to £ 13.86 at Glasgow Caledonian University.
According to the Scottish Funding Council ( SFC), responsible for allocating the cash to higher education institutions, the grants are not supposed to be a blanket payment to all students but to only help those in financial hardship.
John Craig, student president at the RCS, has now written to the Scottish Government about the issue.
In a letter to Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead, he said: “I’m emailing today to ask if you could provide any help or support in advocating for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to receive additional support from the Scottish Funding Council in light of their recent announcement regarding an additional £ 5m in support for Colleges and HE institutions.
“Unfortunately, in the £ 5m announcement, RCS was awarded £ 9,349. This amounted to 0.4% of the share for HE institutions and is the lowest amount awarded to any HE institution.”
The University of Glasgow, with the second- highest percentage of university students, has been given £ 8.66 per student, but could only afford to give 762 of its 30,800 students the maximum £ 350.
A spokesman for the Scottish Funding Council said: “This funding is designed to support disadvantaged learners by helping to provide them with equipment they might otherwise not have been able to buy themselves.
“We have asked institutions to use their discretion, using a fair and equitable approach, to ensure they are targeting this funding at those suffering greatest hardship, thereby helping those most in need.”
A spokeswoman for the Government said: “This £ 5m is targeted for learners facing hardship in colleges, universities and community settings, and is in addition to existing funds.”