Abstract:

The idea of ​​preventing social exclusion, understood as the process systematically blocking individuals from various opportunities and resources, is to minimize or abolish social injustice and wrongs. Commonly, the areas of citizen and public protection refer to health, education, social issues or culture. Accordingly, the subject literature often comes forward with the term "social security" to refer to the issues of social exclusion. It covers a widely understood state support that provides a minimum standard of living, including free access to education, cultural events and health treatment for individuals and their families. However, social security may also refer to young people involved in the educational process who do not have sufficient funds to secure their educational needs. Having the above in mind, the article aims at identifying such needs and actions taken by PSW, a university in Biała Podlaska, that help prevent social exclusion of the poorest students through providing them with different forms of material help.

To achieve the goal, the article presents quantitative research conducted on a group of 884 students. The study involved a diagnostic survey in the form of a questionnaire consisting of several closed questions. Students’ participation in the study was voluntary and based on a random selection. The research was conducted on-line in the period from 1 to 31 March 2017 and applied the programme STATISTICA 10 to analyze particular variables. By using statistical tests, the relationships between variables were examined. In all the analyzed cases, the significance level was assumed at p <0.05, and statistically significant responses were marked with an asterisk (*).

Basing on the analysis of own research, we have found that over 80.0% of the respondents examined at PSW have an opportunity to meet their basic needs thanks to the material support from the university. Over 1/3 of the tested students would not be able to continue their studies without the material aid received from the institution. Additionally, it turned out that every fifth student quite often supports the closest family with the funds from the university. Accordingly, as the respondents admit, the material support received at the institution allowed them to fully satisfy their existential needs, which in turn let them concentrate on own educational needs.

Keywords:

Social exclusion, students, university, social security.