Another year another....

The start of the last academic year was not pleasant for most due to the EMA debacle. Millions of students up and down the country were affected along with their families as a result of incompetence by the administering organisation Liberata. This was not a pleasant time it eventually lead to some students having to quit courses as they could not afford to come. This was fortunately not the case at City College; although our students were affected, luckily the College went the extra mile by loaning students the money they were not receiving. This of course meant that students could still afford to come to College and not drop out.

Academic year 2009/10 - another year, another fiasco. This year our Higher Education students are facing a similar issue with their student loans as a result of the failures in the Student Loans Company.

Statistics disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act show that first year students are the worst affected with more than a quarter of their student loan applications still outstanding.

The situation has been made even more distressing by severe problems with the Student Loan Company's online applications tracker which in many cases contains limited or out-of-date information.
 
Many students without money have been forced to rely on bailouts from their families and friends for food and rent, or to lean on universities for financial assistance as they face the potential of having to drop out of their courses.

The Students Loan Company chief executive Ralph Seymour Jackson has provided no clear answers to when the present crisis will be resolved. In April this year, SLC explained the delay by pointing to technical problems with their scanning equipment. Despite having had six months to fix this, technical issues continue be blamed for the current crisis.

Once again I am pleased that the College has decided to help individual students who are in financial difficulties*. However what I find hard to believe is that other Universities and Colleges up and down the country are not following CCN’s lead, WHY?

Shane Mann
President, Students’ Union

* If you need any help and if you have applied for a student loan through the Student Loans Company and have not yet received it, please go to the Advice Shop with your Student Support Number and let us know. The College will then be able to help you by speaking to the Student Loans Company on your behalf.

If you are experiencing severe financial difficulties, the College may be able to help with an emergency loan, again, please go to the Advice Shop.

Shane Mann's Blog