Student protest

NUS Scotland has organised a student led protest that will be held outside of the Scottish Parliament on the 23rd of a March from 12-1pm, calling for the Scottish Government to take action on some of the long and well-known issues that are facing students.

This protest is combining different demands based on data and feedback from students across Scotland. Students are facing challenges both inside and outside of the classroom - with increasing rent, increasing cost of living and fewer rights when renting it is time students are heard!

Broke: How Scotland is failing its students

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the 21st of February NUS Scotland published an alarming report on student poverty. This report outlined some pretty horrendous results, highlighting some of the incredibly difficult situations students across Scotland face. 

The problems students face

Here are just some of the main headlines from the report:

  • 12% of students reported that they had experienced homelessness
  • Rent has risen by 34% in the past 3 years!
  • It was found that students have fewer rights when renting properties, such as having the right to leave a tenancy.
  • Students’ needs for adequate and accessible housing is not being met - many students that require additional facilities to support them to live independently in their housing are often either not getting the much-needed facilities, or are having to pay extra to have the facilities in place.

What are we and NUS Scotland asking for?

Some of the demands NUS Scotland are fighting for is:

  • Rent controls – the cost of rent is rising and often exceeds the amount of financial support students get through student support and bursaries. We need controls to make and keep housing affordable
  • Rights as tenants – we shouldn’t have fewer rights than other members of society. We need the right to leave contracts and protection from evictions
  • Accessible and adaptable housing – so that all students are safe and secure in their housing, regardless of our personal circumstances
  • Recording Student homelessness - students cant currently access the same support for homelessness to help them access emergency or temporary accommodation, but this isn't recorded by government.

Join us and show the Government that students want to be heard

Meet us at 12pm on Wednesday 23rd of March, we will be protesting outside of Holyrood demanding that the Scottish Government step up and take the actions needed to support the students of Scotland. We hope to see you there, let Jordan know if you're joining - you can contact him via email on jordan@ecsa.scot or find him on social media!

If you are unable to make it on Wednesday, you can also show your support the campaign by signing up to the NUS Scotland campaign here.