Derry councillor Aileen Mellon calls for support for students facing ‘severe hardship’ due to COVID-19

Sinn Féin Councillor Aileen Mellon said third-level students were in a vulnerable situation after the National Union of Students called for a hardship fund and the option for students to retake or be reimbursed for the academic year on Wednesday.

New research from the NUS has shown 81 per cent of students are worried about their job prospects, while 95 per cent are concerned about the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.

Colr. Mellon said: “Many of our students throughout the North have been facing into severe hardship as a result of Covid-19. They have all been sent home as their universities are no longer running classes, and many who depended on part time zero hour jobs to top up loans and grants to pay their bills have been left with no financial safety net. But they are expected to continue to pay rents to private landlords.”

She said her party had been engaging with universities and unions.

“Students are not entitled to benefits so are not being picked up with this measure. A change here needs to come in the form of legislation from Westminster which Sinn Féin have been lobbying for. In ordinary circumstance students can access the Student Hardship Funds through their Universities, which are in place for students who face a particular need, but they have been overwhelmed in the current environment and are now depleted, leaving students with nowhere to turn.”

She urged the Economy Minister Diane Dodds to make funds available to the universities for students in crisis.