Principals and student reps across Tayside and Fife say cutting funding for counsellors in colleges will shift the burden onto the NHS.
College principals across the country have called on the Scottish Government not to axe funding for the mental health roles.
Money to allow students access to in-house counselling at colleges and universities was introduced in 2018.
Nicola Sturgeon pledged to provide £20 million as part of a four-year pilot programme, later extended to five years because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But only £14.5m has been spent from the initial £20m budget, which is only in place until July.
Now 21 college principals – including those from Fife College, Perth College UHI and Dundee and Angus College – have written to the Scottish Government to ask for the vital service to be saved.
‘Being a student is not easy’
Fife College Students Association (FCSA) president of welfare and equality Tali Fisher says the cuts will have a direct impact on students.
She told The Courier: “Being a student is not easy.
“The stress of juggling classes and assignments while keeping a roof over their head and heat in their homes means it’s unsurprising that the Mental Health Foundation reports that more than half of college students report moderate to severe symptoms of depression.”
She added: “Every year our students fill the counselling spaces and continue to join the waitlist, which shows how valuable the service is and the pressure this takes off NHS mental health services.
“By cutting this funding they are pushing the burden of funding support for students onto colleges and further stretching an already stretched thin budget.
“The consistent lack of funding to support the students of today will be to blame for the shortage of skills in the Scotland of the future.”
Amy Monks, president of the students’ association at Dundee and Angus College, said counsellors were an integral part of the support system for students.
She said: “If this resource and the amazing people in these roles are not funded we are not going to be able to provide the same provision for those who need it most and enable them to stay in college education.”
‘We have seen increased demand for services’
Dundee and Angus College principal Simon Hewitt was one of the 21 to sign the letter to the Scottish Government.
He said: “The college sector is facing many uncertainties and financial pressures at the minute, with the potential loss of vital mental health counselling funding being one of them.
“Both as a college and a whole sector we have seen increased demand for services and the removal of this vital funding would not only have an impact on us as a college but would also put additional pressure onto NHS services that are already stretched.
“The Scottish Government must review this immediately and pledge to continue to support this vital service, or the mental health and wellbeing of our students will inevitably suffer.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Despite a very challenging fiscal environment, we have confirmed a further £2 million in this academic year to March 2023, and we are committed to additional funding to cover the entirety of the current academic year.
“No decision has been taken with regard to funding beyond the end of the current academic year.
“The Scottish Government will also deliver a Student Mental Health Plan in Spring 2023.
“This will provide a framework for student mental health support in universities and colleges, which will be linked to our wider Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.”
Conversation