Should more be done to ensure that students can attend university, if their parents are struggling with the cost of living crisis?

We have sent camera teams out across the country to gather people’s opinions.

Transcript

00:00 Should more be done to ensure students can attend university if parents are struggling

00:08 with the cost of living crisis?

00:12 I've got a vested interest in this, I have to say. My youngest granddaughter is awaiting

00:18 her A-level results and so I've been researching fees. Frankly, earnings are obviously only

00:29 my opinion. It's a scandal.

00:34 Prices have gone up so much and I've got a student loan as well and that's only going

00:39 so far. I know a lot of my English mates get a lot more money so they can pay their rent

00:45 as well but I think the minimum in Scotland is not enough to really pay rent with and

00:52 live with for the month.

00:54 Well that's it, they should concentrate on them because they're the future, aren't they?

00:58 I tell them, "If we had a safer school, you had to learn." So I know they said or something

01:03 like that. Safe in school, we don't do that now. So it's either be good.

01:08 I think it should. It would be nice for everyone to have the opportunity. I'm not saying it

01:13 is for everyone but I think if it is the right thing for the child, the young adult, then

01:20 yeah, maybe it should.

01:22 Yes, let me say yes because it will give us the opportunity for more students to be in

01:29 the universities instead of them to just be roaming around and be dropouts. So I think

01:33 the government should do more in terms of helping those who, their parents, and less

01:38 privilege.

01:39 Parents and children, I have three granddaughters, they've all been to uni. One of them is still

01:45 there. They have to pay big fees to get there, very expensive, and then they have to take

01:53 loans out. I think that's why many children just give up and don't go there. Or parents

02:00 can't afford to send them there. That's where they need more support from the government.

02:06 I mean, yeah, we both struggle because we are English, half English, and have lived

02:12 in England before but technically we can't get student finance because we haven't been

02:17 here three years prior. We live in the EU and Brexit as well so I feel like there could

02:21 be more help with that. Or from universities as well, more funding.

02:26 Yes, I think maintenance loans, I think student fees. I mean, on the continent, I know a few

02:32 years ago students were being encouraged to go, this is pre-Brexit, students were being

02:37 encouraged to go to Maastricht because there were no fees.

02:41 Parents are suffering a lot, students are suffering a lot also. Student finance is not

02:48 sufficient for students and parents' income is not sufficient. So we need a solution and

02:54 I don't know what to do. Government should think better, they should take another step

02:59 so students can continue their studies.

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