COVID-19 & Young People
The Scottish Young Greens aim to represent the views and priorities of our members, and work in the best interests of all young people and students in Scotland. We note the particular challenges that will be faced by young people and students of all levels and we are asking for the Scottish and UK Governments to ensure that our voices are heard and concerns are addressed in the response to COVID-19. There is no going back to normal, and we hope that this crisis can be used to change the way society works for everyone.
• We call on all further and higher education institutions (FHEIs) across Scotland to implement a No Detriment Policy for examinations and assessments in line with other institutions such as the University of Glasgow, meaning that no student will be penalised for adverse performances during the current crisis. Students should not have their degree progression impeded where this can be avoided, with alternative arrangements put in place for accredited courses. Students who are expected to do remote assessment must be supported by their institutions with access to funding and resources to ensure they are not disadvantaged by the move to online learning.
• We call on all FHEIs to cancel any proposed salary deductions for staff who participated in the recent UCU strikes. Academic and administrative staff have worked tirelessly to assist students and should not be punished at a time of economic uncertainty.
“UBI ensures respect and dignity for all, giving everyone the security to live and study without financial worry”
• Universities and colleges are facing financial difficulties due to the disruptions of COVID-19. We ask that they ensure students do not bear the brunt of these shortfalls, in particular calling for a commitment to continued free tuition in Scotland for the foreseeable future. Institutions should be safeguarding vital student services such as widening participation programmes, mental health services and financial support for disadvantaged students; demand for these will only grow in the coming years and students cannot afford to have them cut now. Education is an investment: it is up to the government, not students, to properly fund universities and colleges.
• Students and young people are disproportionately dependent on precarious work and will be amongst the hardest-hit from job cuts and redundancies. We welcome the recent successful campaign from UWS Students Union who won a victory for casual staff at the University of the West of Scotland. We are concerned about reports of the University of Glasgow laying off Graduate Teaching Assistants, welcome the recent assurances from them and call for all staff in the higher and further education sector to be moved off of casual, precarious contracts. We call on all employers, and especially those in the education sector, to respect young workers rather than laying them off.
• The UK's welfare system is a disgrace, with Universal Credit being an evil and dehumanising tool used to punish the poor. Students are broadly ineligible for Universal Credit, despite only being eligible for student finance for around 9 months of the year. Over the coming summer months, students do not receive student finance, cannot claim Universal Credit and will not be able to find work. We call on the UK Government to change the Universal Credit criteria to make students eligible, at least for the coming summer months. We call on the Scottish Government to ensure students are supported over the summer with SAAS and other finance bodies automatically extending loan and bursary payments until the start of the next academic year; students cannot rely on the charity of their institutions, and not all students have families who can support them. Further, we ask the Scottish Government to consider the immediate introduction of emergency maintenance grants for those who need it, with many students facing unexpected financial difficulties. We fully support the Scottish Green Party's policy of a Universal Basic Income for all, right now. Students over summer are just one group that are badly let down by the current system; UBI ensures respect and dignity for all, giving everyone the security to live and study without financial worry.
• Final year students who are expecting to graduate in the coming months are particularly affected, with many grad schemes and prospective jobs being cancelled. They also lack the security of the return to their institution in September, with the funding that follows. Continued student finance payments for the foreseeable future (at least over the summer months) will give all students, and especially graduating students, some financial security thus removing the cliff-edge they currently face. Student finance agencies must also consider the economic reality young graduates are facing, and consider waiving or postponing debt collection for the foreseeable future.
• As well as precarious work, students and young people are disproportionately likely to be in precarious housing. We are calling for rent reductions and rent holidays to protect tenants over the coming months. We also welcome the recent success of Mark Ruskell MSP in ensuring the private student accommodation provider, Hello Students, do not charge rent for housing that cannot and will not be used due to disruption from COVID-19. We are calling on all student accommodation providers to follow suit and put tenants before profit, including accommodation ran by FHEls.
• We are deeply concerned by the SQA's current approach to examination for secondary school pupils. Basing results on the past performances of schools needlessly punishes students in disadvantaged areas and widens inequality in our education system.
