Vulnerable student stranded by support services

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]llness does not discriminate; young or old, rich or poor, mid-university course or not.

Of course, such factors influence one’s odds but nobody is completely safe – even if it messes with your five-year plan. I fell ill last summer and after numerous tests and biopsies I was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). I started ongoing treatment in October and made the decision to temporarily withdraw from my undergraduate degree course.

I wanted to take a year out to get better and deal with the side effects of strong medication. These past few months I have spent countless hours applying for financial help and have come to the frustrating conclusion that numerous ‘support’ systems fail students who have had to suspend their university studies for health-related reasons.

Nobody is completely safe

Illness may strike anyone, and the financial strain of getting ill hits certain demographics harder than others. It can wreak havoc on a person’s wallet as well as their wellbeing. The UK is an affluent country, but relative poverty and inequality is a very real endemic. Students from less affluent backgrounds will likely be financially challenged by a break period – without student finance and the good health required to work.

Like me, many students are fortunate enough to move back in with parents if they must. However, there are additional expenses in providing for another resident within low-income families. With no supplementary income, families can struggle. This is in itself unfair. The UK has welfare services, so basic needs are surely fulfilled for all. In theory this is true but in practice UK welfare services are a rough diamond. It’s no secret the reality of our welfare state is not a utopia. It is more so an ugly knot of budget cuts, infiltrating privatisation and fundamental design flaws. Students in my position are advised to apply for Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

It can wreak havoc on a person’s wallet as well as their wellbeing

There are two types of ESA; contributions-based, which looks at whether you have paid enough national insurance contributions, and income-related which is available for those on a low income. I had only worked in a paid job for a month prior to falling ill so did not qualify for the contributions-based ESA. However, one would assume students in situations like mine – unfit to work, living with parents on a low income, and receiving zero personal income – would be eligible for the income-related ESA.

Unfortunately this is not the case. Though ticking all the qualifying boxes, the in-limbo status of being temporarily withdrawn prevents applicants like myself receiving ESA. We are still technically classed as students – though once temporary withdrawn Student Finance payments are stopped.

UK welfare services are a rough diamond

For this same reason, students taking a break from studies for medical reasons are not entitled to Jobseeker’s Allowance. Students in such a situation aren’t eligible for financial help from their university. This is because we are no longer officially enrolled at university.

Herein lies a cruel irony which demonstrates the corruptness of this system. There is no regard for student’s wellbeing but only how to shirk responsibility. I approached Warwick’s Student Support Services, and was told that many students have been put in and are currently in this position, where they exist in a no-man’s-land, a financially grey area.

There is no regard for student’s wellbeing

In a time where maintenance grants in English universities are being replaced with loans, it appears students from low-income families are being failed. They are being disowned by a supposed system of care and support. Poorer students are finding it ever harder to afford to attend university. It is also the case that if they do get there they can’t even afford to fall sick.

Sabah Iqbal