SNP minister faces grilling after college funding gap exposed by The Herald
THE SNP government will be urged this week to stop “short-changing” Scotland’s crucial college sector after a funding gap of nearly half-abillion pounds emerged.
The Scottish Conservatives will use their debating time in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday to call on the SNP to change its current funding approach and give colleges more flexibility to “allow them to flourish”.
Shadow education secretary Liam Kerr said successive SNP education secretaries, including new leader-inwaiting John Swinney, have passed down “brutal and sustained” cuts to the sector, rather than fully funding them.
Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher and Further Education, was pushed on the eye-watering financial difficulties facing the sector, after The Herald exclusively revealed the nearly half-a-billion pound shortfall on Monday as part of our State of Scotland’s Colleges series.
For the year 2024/25, colleges are due to receive a total of £643,040,000 from the Scottish Government. However, inflation since 2021 means that the sector would actually have required more than £834 million of funding this year in order to avoid a real-terms cut to budgets.
Over the three-year period since 2021/22, the total combined budget gap stands at more than £464m.
The minister said he disputed The Herald’s figure, though he accepted that there was a “gap”.
He said the Scottish Government was facing “extraordinary financial challenges” after “years of austerity”.
Mr Kerr said “brilliant staff and talented students” were being let down due to the SNP government’s inaction. He said: “Successive SNP education secretaries, including John Swinney, have repeatedly short-changed Scotland’s crucial college sector.
“The potential, and indeed existing, outputs of Scotland’s colleges are incredible, led by brilliant staff and talented and committed students – but they are being let down by this SNP government.
“The SNP minister must listen to these calls from the Scottish Conservatives and the sector, otherwise colleges will only be put at greater risk.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While the 2024/25 Budget is the most challenging to be delivered under devolution, we have protected, as far as possible, investment in the college sector, with more than £750m to support their delivery of high-quality education and training.
“This support will continue to ensure that colleges continue to play a vital role in future economic growth, while opening up vocational and academic pathways for young people, enabling them to fulfil their potential.”