University Students Abandoned and Blamed for Coronavirus

I am pretty angry right now, it’s been simmering away for a few months but now it is bubbling over my already full cup. Since March University students have been abandoned in the Governments Covid support and now they are being blamed and scapegoated for a rise in numbers. Lets just call them granny killers at the same time!

My hard-working 20-year-old was on her way to a varsity hockey match when she received a text to say all sport had been cancelled with immediate effect. They turned around after months of training (and a drinking ban) and headed back to their rented homes.

The following day she packed up as much as she could into her small car and came home on the universities advice. Things escalated and we went into lockdown. Whilst GCSE and A Level students were told exams would be cancelled and grades allocated there was no such news for Uni students who finished their courses online.

My daughter did exactly what was asked of her by uni and the Government. She stayed indoors, she didn’t see friends and followed the rules.

She continued to pay her rent, £100 a week with no discounts, with no break. She had no job, no furlough to support her. Just the bank of mum and dad. Her landlords passed on no discounts despite us asking.

This summer she had no paid work, her old employer had no hours for her, she wasn’t surprised. There has been no financial support available for University students.

Before lockdown, Chloe had signed a contract for this years house share. A watertight contract of which I am guarantor because you know she needs to live where she is at University.

Last week she found out that her degree course has dramatically changed, it is now reduced hours, only six online hours a week. Yes, six hours a week for a full-time degree course in which she has to write a dissertation too.

We are now paying £100 a week rent, plus 9K fees all before she even eats. Her loan doesn’t cover her full rent, let alone feed her, that comes down to us.

Now I realise that things need to be different, I get that I really do. But these students have been left high and dry. Their fees have not been reduced despite the service they are receiving looking nothing like what they expected. They are locked into house rentals where they don’t need to be living away from home. It is not fair and it is financially crippling, they are unlikely to be able to find part-time work to support themselves either.

Age is a funny thing when it comes to discrimination, because it is a transient stage there are very few pressure groups that campaign on young peoples rights. Gender and ethnicity don’t really change and therefore you have campaigning groups speaking up for those groups but not for age, especially young, older people have more bargaining power with the grey pound.

It seems to me that the lastest law changes and media campaign is designed to pass the blame to these young adults for the ‘second wave’. The affluent 17-25 year olds who are socialising as they please with little regard for the rest of society. They have even been warned ‘not to kill granny’.

PRETTY DIABOLICAL

Who is looking out for their best interests? These young people are the future and yet they are ignored and scapegoated.

They deserve a reduction in fees to help them financially, they are going to be paying a high price for the current fiancial support given to other sections of society with higher taxes. We are in a recession which will impact on them as they head into the job market.

University students have been short-changed and are feeling pretty abandoned and I can’t say I blame them.

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