Overcoming digital poverty

OVERCOMING DIGITAL POVERTY

Amidst chaos and tragedy, one of COVID-19’s lasting legacies may have been launching the world into a new, digital era. Within weeks of the start of the pandemic, Westminster had moved completely online, creating a digital ‘twin’ of itself. Meanwhile, our supporter community sprang into action to keep our students connected.

This digital revolution comes at a time when a sizable chunk of the world’s population is not online at all, even in advanced economies. While the costs to universities may be easy to quantify, the toll that switching to online learning has taken on students is harder to absorb – particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Enter the new phenomenon of digital poverty.

A survey by the National Union of Students in September last year, found that over a quarter of all students were unable to access online learning during the pandemic. Furthermore, it was students from poorer backgrounds, disabled students and students with carer obligations who were most affected. How can you study online if you don’t have a computer? Or a decent broadband connection? Or, due to the pandemic, you can no longer afford your rent, let alone your broadband? With some incredible generosity from our students and alumni, Westminster has worked hard to support some of our most vulnerable students at this difficult time, with a series of initiatives.

Santander Universities ‘Stay Connected’ Scheme

At the start of this pandemic, many UK students did not even own a laptop – now their entire education depends upon it.

“You’d think many students would be able to afford a laptop because we get a student loan,” says Joelraj Soundrapandian, who is currently completing his MSc in Biomedical Science at Westminster. “But a laptop can cost anything from about £200 or above. You don’t need to get a topof-the-line laptop, obviously, but even £200 – it’s rent for some people.” In April last year, Santander gifted £30,000 to provide laptops to students who did not own one. Santander extended the scheme in May, providing a further £25,000, due to its initial success and students’ continuing need.

COVID-19 Response Fund

Getting hold of a laptop is just one hurdle students are facing at this time. Many have lost their jobs or were furloughed during the first lockdown (a large percentage of students work in retail and hospitality – two of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic). Overseas students have been stranded in London due to travel restrictions or have even taken the difficult decision to leave London permanently.

With all donations matched by the Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT), our incredible student callers, and big-hearted alumni, helped raise over £100,000 for three separate schemes last year:

• Stay On Track Scheme provides immediate support to students struggling to cover everyday living costs such as food, rent or medical fees, with grants of £750 or £300 available.

• Living Expenses Support Scheme provides means-tested grants from £100 to £3,000 to home students facing longer-term financial issues.

• Stay Sheltered Scheme provides means-tested accommodation bursaries of up to £1,100 – a lifeline for many overseas students who unexpectedly found themselves paying London rent last summer.

A SURVEY BY THE NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS, IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, FOUND THAT OVER A QUARTER OF ALL STUDENTS WERE UNABLE TO ACCESS ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC

pandemic’s first wave, while he was completing his undergraduate degree at Westminster. Joelraj considers himself one of the lucky ones, however, as he lives at home, has savings and was able to find another job quickly. Seeing first-hand the problems other students were facing inspired him to volunteer for the campaign. “When loads of people are trapped in a foreign country, when you don’t have the money, when you don’t have the facilities, it becomes a lot more difficult,” he says. “I just think to myself, I’m really lucky to be at home with my parents, I’m really lucky to be a home student and I’m really lucky to have had some savings to get me through this, but many people don’t. So that’s what really made me go for it.”

The response from the donors he spoke to has restored his faith in humanity, Joelraj says. Many of Westminster’s alumni were (and still are) facing their own financial struggles as a result of the pandemic, but still wanted to help.

“One man I spoke to was like ‘I can’t let you go off the phone without donating, I’ll feel really bad if I don’t donate’,” he recalls. Other alumni who couldn’t afford to donate money were quick to offer their time and expertise. One alumna, Joelraj recalls, offered to come in and speak to students about her work as a biomedical scientist instead. This, in itself, offers huge value to students who, like him, hope to pursue a similar career path, Joelraj explains.

“People were really open to doing all sorts of stuff,” Joelraj adds. “It’s really weird thinking about it actually, because my initial view is if someone cold-called me asking for money, I’d be like… ‘Errr… you want some money…?’ But many people, whether it be a few pounds… many people were just quite willing to give what they could.”

A recipient of the Stay Sheltered Scheme, Saudamini Sigdel, a final-year International Relations and Development BA student, was furloughed from her job in retail during the first 2020 peak. She then found herself unable to return to Nepal for the summer.

“This was when international travel was completely shut down,” she says.

“So, my country didn’t even have flights going in. It only had a few chartered flights once in a while and those were super expensive as well. As a student, you’re supposed to have money saved up – they say three months’ rent, that kind of thing – but it’s really hard to do.” The Scheme’s support, she says, was a lifeline at a time when she was “quite desperate”.

One particular problem faced by international students is they are not entitled to student loans. Obtaining other types of loan is difficult for all students, who often have no credit

history; having recently entered the country (in order to study) only exacerbates the problem.

Without the Stay Sheltered Scheme, she would have built up a lot of debt, Saudamini says. She may, eventually, have had to go home to complete her degree, as a number of overseas students she knows have done. While this may seem OK, while everyone is working remotely anyway, it effectively means studying in a different time zone, with all lectures and supervisions taking place while you (or should have been!) sleeping. There are other disadvantages too. Like many of Westminster’s overseas students, Saudamini hopes to build a career in London after she graduates.

“If you plan to work in London and you’re not in London while you’re studying then it’s very hard to do that,” she says. “If I’d been back home in Nepal, I wouldn’t have been able to do that, just because of legal obligations.”

Uncertain times

Hearing so many stories from alumni he spoke to about students being laid off from where they worked, really opened Joelraj’s eyes to the scale of the problem, he says. “I only realised doing the calls that students had been much worse affected than I’d initially thought,” he says. “It caught my attention and, if anything, it reinforced the importance of the campaign for me.”

As a biomedical scientist, the pandemic has also shown him, once again, the crucial importance of his studies. (Joelraj was actually studying vaccines during the first lockdown!)

As someone else about to graduate into the capital’s current job market, Saudamini has no illusions about what lies ahead, but she feels optimistic about the future.

“This journey, overall, I think has helped me build up a lot of transferrable skills that I’m now starting to realise I need, graduating in this climate, because it’s going to be super competitive,” she says. “I know there has been a record high rate of unemployment, so it is a challenge graduating now, but I think the University has equipped me properly to take it on – so I’m excited.”

Despite the progress that has been made over the past year, students will be facing significant challenges, connected to the pandemic, for the foreseeable future. While these challenges exist, Westminster will keep doing whatever it takes to provide our students with all the support they need.

THANK YOU

Thanks to your selfless support and generous donations, our students have been able to persevere with their studies through the most challenging year.