Here is the plain text result:
Students in Northern Ireland are skipping meals due to the cost of living crisis, a recent survey has revealed.
The survey, from NUS-USI (National Union of Students NI), also showed that over half of those surveyed had gone without heating.
“For some students it really is a choice between heating and eating,” a student welfare officer at Queen’s University Belfast told BBC News NI.
Universities are now introducing initiatives to help support students with the cost of living crisis. The Pantry at Queen’s is one such initiative – a free food refill station for students. It started in 2022 and has seen an increased rise in demand, with roughly 5,000 people using the service since September.
Another initiative is the Swap Shop, which opened about two months ago. The shop allows people to swap one item of clothing for another.
Jess, a welfare officer at Queen’s Students’ Union, believes more needs to be done to fill the gap after students have paid for their essentials and “control the spiralling costs of rent”.
Chris Murray, VP and student officer at Ulster University’s Coleraine campus, asked how the government expects students to eat, given that the cheapest purpose-built student accommodation in Belfast is £550 a month.
Financial difficulties are having an impact on students’ studies, with 22% missing class because they can’t afford the price of public transport to get there. Chris said that is also affecting students’ mental health.
NUS-USI president Ben Friel described the rates of student poverty as “alarming”.
Source link
