THE amount of non-repayable bursaries and grants paid to Scotland’s students has fallen by 19 per cent in a year.
The Scottish Government said the amount paid had fallen from £127.7 million in 2010-11 to £103.4m in 2011-12 because of the decision to stop paying travel expenses.
Overall, the total level of support paid by the Students Award Agency for Scotland fell by 0.3 per cent in a year to £570.3m, of which £220m was spent on tuition fees for Scots and EU students.
Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, Hugh Henry, said: “The SNP promised to write off student debt; however, these figures show that the opposite is happening. This clearly proves that under the SNP many more students will be forced to leave university with increased debt. This is more dishonesty from the SNP, and typical of this SNP government; they promise to do one thing and then do the exact opposite.”
The government said travel expenses had been subsumed within the student loan, with an extra £350 a year going to those students who come from a household earning less than £60,600 a year.
CHRIS MARSHALL