PhD students miss out on funded childcare, letter claims
The Story
A letter published in The Guardian by Jamie Evans, a research fellow at the University of Bristol, argues that PhD students are unfairly excluded from eligibility for 30 hours of funded childcare. The letter states that this exclusion costs a typical UKRI-funded PhD student approximately £8,000 in support they would otherwise receive.
Key Facts
- Education secretary Bridget Phillipson ordered a Competition and Markets Authority review of hidden childcare charges, according to the letter.
- The letter claims the Department for Education’s eligibility criteria for 30 hours of funded childcare exclude PhD students.
- PhD students on a typical UK Research and Innovation-funded course earn about £20,000 per year, the letter states.
- The writer says this will affect him and his wife from February next year when their daughter turns nine months old; his wife is a PhD student working on improving patient experiences of GP services.
- The letter says their stipend does not meet the “narrow technical definition of ‘income’” set by the Conservatives when the scheme was designed.
- The Department for Education suggested the wife could work 16 hours of part-time work per week to qualify, in addition to her 37.5 hours of PhD work and childcare duties, according to the letter.
- Without the support, the writer says quitting the PhD becomes an increasingly tempting option.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
The article does not specify whether the Department for Education has responded to the specific complaint or whether any changes to eligibility criteria are under consideration.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Jamie Evans – research fellow, Personal Finance Research Centre, University of Bristol (author of the letter)
- Bridget Phillipson – education secretary (mentioned as ordering a review)
- Wife of Jamie Evans – unnamed PhD student (mentioned in the letter)
Sources: The Guardian
