Education minister suggests college and university reforms will go ahead
Colleges and universities face an uncertain future amid fresh funding cuts and proposals for structural reform.
Tens of thousands of staff and students could be impacted by the decisions made by the Scottish Government in the coming months.
As the plans are being drawn up, higher and further education minister Graeme Dey was yesterday quizzed by MSPS on Holyrood’s education committee on a range of issues.
Major reforms to post-school education were tabled in a report by James Withers in June. It included the creation of a single national funding body that could replace the Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development scotland and potentially the Students Awards Agency for Scotland.
The Scottish Government had already given its backing to some of the ideas in its“purpose and principles” reports.
Mr Dey went further, saying: “In the context of Withers, one way or another I would anticipate us taking forward pretty much everything that is in there.”
He said he hoped to be able to provide“some tangible informationon the first elements” by mid-march.
Universities Scotland fear institutions could be reclassified as public bodies under the proposals if the Scottish Governmentbecomes more closely involved in over seeing and funding the sector. Asked about the warning, mr dey said :“we’ re not as convinced it is as legitimate a concern in reality as the universities do.”
Universities Scotland said any new funding body should have the status of a non-departmental public body (NDPB), ensuring it works independently of ministers. Asked if it would be an NDPB, Lesley Ward, head of public bodies governance and reform at the government, said: “It’s too early to say.”
Concern has also been growing about the future of many of Scotland’s 24 colleges, amid budget cuts, ongoing industrial action and job losses.
Mr Dey said he believed the sector would quite “quickly” be able to take advantage of“opportunities” available under the reform programme. However, he also said it would be a “fair assumption” that no additionalfunding would be provided in the short term to help deliver the proposed changes.
Mr Dey said he had hoped to retain the Flexible Workforce Development Fund in some form, but it was not possible.
The Scotsman revealed last month the FWDF had become another victim of budget cuts. The £10 million scheme had benefited thousands of firms and tens of thousands of workers, by paying for staff training at colleges and the Open University.
He did, however, announce proposals for a scheme that would try to replace the Erasmus+ exchange programme.
He said 21 bids, all from universities, had been successful for the proposed new“scottish education Exchange Programme ”.
The projects are due to proceedover the next three months, after which they will be assessed ahead of the new financial year.
Mr Dey said most of the projects were European based but that one was in south africa. he said the level of application was “not particularly high”, but that timescales had been “tight”.