Section 3: Financial support for students
Section 73(f) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 provided that the Scottish Ministers may make regulations concerning— “the payment of allowances or loans to or in respect of persons attending courses of education”.
11 Use of the word “attending” may have been taken to suggest some degree of physical attendance on the course. Section 3 of the Act therefore amends this section to provide that the Scottish Ministers may make payments of allowances or loans to or in respect of persons who are “undertaking” or “who have undertaken” courses of education. It also makes two consequential changes. The purpose of the main amendment is two-fold. First, it enables allowances and loans to be paid to students on distance learning courses who are not “attending” courses of education. This will allow the Scottish Ministers to extend the loans for part-timers scheme and the Disabled Students' Allowance to distance learning students. Second, it enables loans to be made to individuals to enable them to fulfil their liability to pay the graduate endowment.
