Hackles were raised this week when the Daily Mail printed incendiary comments made by an unnamed government minister about students on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP).
The unnamed minister bemoaned the fact that there are “47,000 students lying in bed enjoying the PUP grant”. On top of this, the anonymous minister also worried that the payment would create “a culture of welfare dependency in our students”.
The backlash to the comments was swift, drawing ire from both Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris and President of the Union of Students in Ireland Lorna Fitzpatrick, showing just how outrageous the comments were.
In 2019, a survey that found 55 per cent of third-level students were skipping lectures for paid work. Last year, the Higher Education Authority published damning results of a survey that showed a huge disparity between the socioeconomic status of students in higher education.
In short, college is a significant financial burden, particularly on poorer students, and balancing paid work and study is essential to many.
For a government minister to suggest that students are less eligible for the grant than other adults simply because they are in third-level education shows a government out of touch and far removed from the reality of being a student.
While these comments are indicative of what some in the government think about students, using students as a scapegoat is not new.
Since September, talking heads – looking for a scapegoat – have foisted the blame for an increase in coronavirus cases on the backs of students – pointing to parties in Limerick or Belfast as proof.
Third-level has not been afforded the same level of government support as primary and secondary-level education. So students are trapped in a double bind: higher education was not deemed essential enough for in-person teaching, yet students who do abide by public health guidelines and stay at home are vilified for “lying in bed”.
Most worrying, however, is that the government minister’s comments may be a sign of what is to come when politicians are looking to make cuts. “Sleepy student” comments lay the foundation for later excuses to target students when the financial perils of the pandemic start to kick in.
