SNP’s broken promise leaves students drowning in debt

Lucas Smith Grant - Aberdeen Socialist Students 

The 2007 manifesto pledge made by the SNP to scrap student loan debt, a pledge they won the Scottish parliament elections on, has never been fulfilled. Even after 13 years in power.

New official figures have revealed in a damning light that student debt has in fact tripled since 2007, as opposed to being wiped out entirely under the SNP’s watch.

In the past nine years Scotland’s students have collectively become £3 billion more mired in debt.

Scotland’s Auditor General has revealed that a 185% increase in student loans have been authorised in the period of 2018/19 as compared to 2008/09, an increase of £346m of debt yearly.

Around 500,000 students remain in debt to the Student Awards Agency Scotland, the devolved Scottish organisation in charge of paying students fees and providing them with bursaries.

A crucial factor when we consider this issue is that poorer students borrow more on average than wealthier students, as can be expected to the tune of £1000 more.

This places the burden on the students who can deal with debt the very least. Scottish Labour has rightly came out in criticism of this unfulfilled promise, but neither do they go far enough.

So, what do we say? Socialist Party Scotland maintains that the immediate scrapping of student debt be essential to building a fair, socialist society where education is genuinely free.

Another essential step must be providing fair living grants for all, an essential part of giving students the means to live while in further and higher education.