I WOULD like to draw your attention to the struggle which PhD students are facing in Scotland.
The current policy denies me, and many other potential PhD students in Scotland, the opportunity to “acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to play an active and productive role, both personally and socially, [as well as becoming the role model] for children and young people.
“[As] inter-generational learning has the power to create a more cohesive society through challenging stereotypes and valuing the existence of both young and older people.”
This situation is in clear opposition to the Scottish Government’s aspirations and values presented in the Adult Learning in Scotland – Statement of Ambitions.
The reality of PhD students in Scotland is that unless a potential PhD candidate receives financial support from family, or is among the lucky minority of candidates who fit the academic interests under the sponsored PhD programmes, the rest of the successful PhD candidates struggle to cover the costs of tuition fees and living.
There is no student loan available to PhD students; while scholarships and funding are very limited and funded subjects change on yearly basis; not all subjects receive funding every year.
Working on a PhD project requires full-time work; it represents at least 36 to 40 hours of work per week and often it is even more.
PhD students are adults and many among them, including myself, already have family and children.
The lack of funding forces potential students to choose between working on a PhD project or dropping it.
Working on a PhD project and having extra part-time work is often suggested as an option for PhD students; however, it is challenging to achieve, and for those with children it is unrealistic.
If I worked 40 hours per week on my PhD project and an additional 20 hours per week at different work, I would not see my son and husband at all.
This would affect strongly my whole family and my son’s development as family is the basic micro-society for a young child whose needs must be met.
It is also far from the role model I would like to be for my son.
I would apply for a student loan and would not ask for help if it was an option.
However, there is no student loan available to PhD students; while scholarships and funding options are very limited in Scotland.
While I have proposed a successful PhD project focused on art and creativity in adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, I have been left without any source of funding.
Undertaking a PhD degree involves no less time and effort than undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters level) degrees, that is why PhD students should be treated equally and have access to student loans just like undergraduate and Masters students.
In the current situation, I have been forced to search for alternative methods of funding of my PhD research project.
I have started crowd funding to help me cover the tuition fees – £12,000 for three years.
I have also started a petition calling for the introduction of student loans for PhD students in Scotland, and I am contacting the Scottish Government to draw their attention to this issue.
More information about my PhD project can be found on the crowdfunding page: bit.ly/ArtandCreativity
The petition is available on bit.ly/PetitionPhDSG
Marta Nitecka Barche
Aberdeen
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