Support for struggling students hailed

A £30 million package of support for higher and further education students and their struggling institutions has been welcomed by a Perthshire MSP.

Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, was responding to the promise of a package of support to students and educational institutions made in a statement by the deputy first minister John Swinney to the Scottish Parliament last week.

Ms Cunningham considered how the money would be distributed:“Two thirds of that £30m will provide hardship support for students, in particular those who have been paying rent for properties that they are no longer able to occupy, and the remaining £10m will be directed at supporting colleges and universities who have lost revenues from refunding rent to students.”

She added:“With the Perth College campus of the University of Highlands and Islands in my constituency, I know that this announcement will be welcomed across the higher and further education sectors.

“I also know that the many students from my constituency enrolled at institutions around the country will be grateful for the recognition of the difficulties being faced by students.

“Many of them will have lost part-time jobs they relied on for financial support and there are those who, although now living back home, may still be tied in to expensive leases.

“John Swinney’s announcement was a very welcome declaration of intent and comes on top of the £37m the Scottish Government has already provided to support students during the pandemic.”