Islanders push for changes to student loan system

Tuesday 23 January 2024

A student loan support group is lobbying for a change in the maintenance grant system which would allow Islanders studying non-clinical courses which require placements – such as teaching or social work – eligible for more funding.

Children's and Education Minister Inna Gardiner said that a review into this area of student finance was ongoing, but that the "clinical component" is "designed to specifically address the costs associated with a clinical course".

Currently, an extra maintenance grant of between £1,068 to £1,143 ("clinical component grant") is available to those on courses which have a period of study by clinical training – these are classified as medicine, veterinary, dentistry or nursing students. These Islanders must have an income of less than £100,000.

However, some students are frustrated because these grants are not provided – like tuition fee grants – for "related subjects which include a period of study by way of clinical training".

These could be Islanders studying to be paramedics, physiotherapists, social workers or teachers – all of which require placements.

Pictured: teaching is one of the courses not eligible for the "clinical component grant" despite incurring extra costs associated with placements, members of the Student Loan Support Group said.

Nicki Heath, leader of the Student Loans Support Group, said: "For many students whose courses involve placements away from where they study they face additional costs. These include accommodation, travel, etcetera.

"Some students have no choice but to pay twice for accommodation because they have contracts for rents. They can't dip and out and hope to find somewhere new to live every few weeks, so they often find short term accommodation or will travel from where their contracted accommodation is.

"It isn't just paramedics, this extends to many courses related to medicine, like social work and trainee teachers who are not mentioned at all in the regulations.

"Other funding options students might qualify for are the field allowance and the vacation study allowance, but these have strict criteria, and have to be applied for far in advance."

She added: "We would much prefer to see any changes advised before next Christmas as students and/or parents who are making final choices and applications through UCAS have no certainty what funding there will be in September. The longer they have to financially plan the better."

This issue has cropped up a few times in the past, but the minister left the regulations unchanged last year, Nicki added.

When the group contacted Education Minister Inna Gardiner late last year, she said she was meeting with her policy team in mid-January to discuss the Education (Grants and Allowances) Order.

Pictured: Deputy Inna Gardiner will remain in post as Children's and Education Minister until a new Chief Minister is elected later this week.

A statement was provided to Express last week by Deputy Inna Gardiner, saying: "The Minister is aware of concerns raised by students of the additional costs associated with courses that involve a placement. Examples provided include the need to purchase a vehicle as the journey to their placement is not adequately serviced by local public transport, or a need to cover the cost of temporary overnight accommodation due to shift work.

"A review of the relevant law which governs higher education funding is ongoing. The priority areas selected for review are those that have been subject to the highest number of queries and appeals received by Student Finance and this is one of the areas under development.

"The output from this review will enable development of targeted funding options, which promote fairness. Any changes that could impact the Student Finance budget would require approval from the States Assembly and would be subject to the government plan process."

However, the statement added: "The clinical component is designed to specifically address the costs associated with a clinical course which, in addition to travel for placements, can include: the purchase of protective clothing and equipment, immunisation costs and disclosure and barring checks. Some of the clinical degrees are also of a longer duration which increases the overall cost compared to a typical 3-year course.

"Not all courses with a placement have a clinical component and therefore, do not necessarily incur the same degree of additional cost. In respect of travel costs, a number of factors determine the cost faced by each individual student: the length of the placement, proximity to accommodation, shift work or daytime hours as well as the public transport provision in the local area. This means it would not necessarily be appropriate to specify a fixed grant amount for all students attending a placement."

The Minister also clarified that she has made enhancements to the student finance offer since July 2022, including an increase in line with cost-of-living and the introducing of a "sliding scale" for maintenance grants.