STUDENTS with children face a shortfall of up to £1,000 a month due to the cost of childcare, a report claims.
Research by NUS Scotland found the difference between the support received and monthly outgoings was £20-£400 for college students, rising to £100-£1,000 for those at university.
Across both further and higher education, the average figure was £200.
Titled The Bairn Necessities, the report is the largest study of student parents ever undertaken in Scotland and found more than half of respondents were mature students.
Parents in higher education lose their benefits regardless of whether or not they take out a student loan, while those at college can apply for a standard bursary that does not cover additional parenting costs or remaining on conventional welfare.
However, the report found many institutions do not know how many of their learners are in this category, meaning help and support may not be in place.
A “small but significant number” said they had to take out commercial loans to pay for childcare, with others relying on family members or income from a part-time job.
NUS Scotland women’s officer Emily Beever said: “If we want to truly widen access to our institutions, and ensure that any potential student in Scotland has the support they need to access and succeed in education, we need to start addressing the issues that affect the diverse, and often challenging, circumstances, those students have – and that includes student parents.
“Respondents told us how the current support system isn’t fit for purpose, leaving them out of pocket by hundreds of pounds each month, which isn’t being matched by the necessary support from government or their institution.”
She went on: “No-one should be left out of pocket in trying to get an education, not least those who have children dependent on them.
“The Scottish Government have announced they’ll be launching a review into student support, and it’s vital that student parents are a part of that. And there’s a huge responsibility on the part of universities and colleges, too – to ensure they’re collecting information on student parents at their institution, and are able to target and offer the vital, additional support and flexibility they need.”
Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: “Women should be able to return to education to get the skills after having a child but too many of them are simply priced out of the system because of childcare costs.”
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