Following the Prime Minister's announcement of the Government’s
‘roadmap’ out of lockdown, a cross-party group of MPs and Peers
have written to the Chancellor to set out his plans for student
support.
As the Prime Minister confirmed that most university students
would be asked to stay away from campus until after the Easter
holidays at the earliest, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for
Students have called on the Government to increase hardship
support to students facing lost income and rents for unused
accommodation - and to “provide universities with additional
funding, to allow them to deliver the learning and development
experiences crucial to students’ education.”
They also urge Government to: “increase UKRI funding to allow
studentships to be extended in a targeted manner to all who need
it, in circumstances where lockdown has affected access to
facilities and resources to allow research to be finished to
usual high standards” and to “consider support for PGR students
funded in other ways, to protect the quality and output of UK
research.”
APPG Students Chair , MP for Sheffield Central, comments:
“The cautious roadmap for unlocking is right, but it neglected to
provide the support needed for most students who are still not
allowed back to campus. Today’s announcement should have come
with additional hardship funding and plans to fill in the gaps in
lost learning and educational experiences, but unfortunately the
Prime Minister missed the opportunity to provide answers for most
students in England.”
“This roadmap strengthens our case for further hardship funding.
The £36 a head provided in England so far does not make up for
lost income from part-time jobs in sectors that remain closed,
the thousands spent on accommodation which cannot be accessed,
and those who have missed out on specialist facilities and
practical experience. The Government must act to support students
now, and fund universities to allow them to deliver enhanced lost
learning programmes and future-proof the sector as we come out of
lockdown.”
Notes to Editors
