Recommendation 65

In January 2021, we met with university students as part of an outreach event. Feedback from them included: “Even before the pandemic there were issues around the cost of living; student loan covers accommodation not food. The impact of the pandemic on this is that there are now even fewer jobs available for students, especially in the hospitality sector.” “We have had difficulties accessing the computer hardware and software we need in order to complete degrees from home.” “The disabled student allowance is so hard to access that eligible people are not applying.” “For many PhD students our funding doesn’t include childcare or maternity leave.” 147 Scottish Parliament, COVID-19: Scotland’s colleges and universities (1 March 2021), p 3 148 Scottish Parliament, COVID-19: Scotland’s colleges and universities (1 March 2021), p 9 149 Q36 150 “Covid student chaos: Paying £30k a year and begging security for food”, BBC News, 29 September 2020 151 “Covid: Student anger over ‘junk’ food parcels in isolation”, BBC News, 11 October 2020; “Self-isolating Edinburgh students ‘going hungry’ as food delivered late”, The Scotsman, 29 September 2020 152 “Why students deserve better during this pandemic”, University of Stirling Newspaper, 14 October 2020 Universities and Scotland 29 “The cost of accommodation can be high for places we can’t use and can’t leave. Some universities have offered rebates for accommodation, but this doesn’t help students in private accommodation.” “Late announcements from the Government on lockdowns and restrictions have made matters worse.” “Working on laptops on beds is bad in so many aspects. Offered no help with homeworking.” “Mental health support has a long waiting list. This could be because everyone with a concern goes straight onto the list, rather than better triaging at an earlier stage to ensure that people are being directed to the right services.” Digital transition