Meeting of the Parliament 03 June 2015
I am pleased that Parliament has this opportunity to debate the challenges that face our universities. In Aberdeen, the issue of support for our university sector is a fairly current concern. Our local university has announced that it is to lose 150 posts. That has caused great anxiety among the staff and students. It raises real questions about how universities are equipped to perform their vital role in our country. In Aberdeen, the impact on our local economy of the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University cannot be overstated. Of course, the universities are of great importance nationally, given their support for our oil and gas industry and the skills and expertise that it needs. We must hear today from the cabinet secretary how the Government will ensure that our universities receive the resources that they need to recruit and retain the staff they require in the ferociously competitive global higher education sector, and, specifically, how it will support the University of Aberdeen and ensure that there are no compulsory redundancies.
Higher education is an area in which we have long had a competitive advantage. That is not an advantage that our nation can afford to lose. Staff at the University of Aberdeen should be rewarded for their efforts rather than being put in a position where they face redundancy. That demands a response from the Scottish Government.
Most of the speeches that we have heard today reflect a consensus that has been established that free tuition is the right policy for Scotland. Of course, Labour wanted to reduce fees in England, which would have provided a potential boost for the sector here. However, any temptation that there might be to say that the fact that we have no tuition fees means that the job is done in higher education should be resisted. I am not sure that it has been resisted over the past few years.
We have long debated the impact of the cuts in further education, and Universities Scotland’s submission outlines funding challenges in the higher education sector in Scotland as well. On capital funding, we can understand why the constraints are there, given the context in which the Scottish Government works. However, cuts in research funding can only be damaging to institutions and our economy.
There are wider issues as well. Some of our institutions have the worst drop-out rates in the United Kingdom, and I would not be surprised if they were among the worst in Europe. That represents a wasted opportunity for the students who drop out and a wasted investment for the state. It is certainly not discussed enough in this Parliament. We want our universities to be the best that they can be and we want to be as proud of them as we can be. Therefore, ministers must get to grips with this issue and seek solutions to the problem. We are also still not doing enough to widen access, as has been discussed. Student support is a crucial part of both of those issues. The level of grant that is available to students from low-income backgrounds is of massive importance to the success of their studies. Students here have benefited from free tuition but, in other parts of the UK, students have had better grants and student support. That issue requires more scrutiny and debate in Scotland.
On governance, of course it is important that university courts are properly inclusive and that staff are represented. Looking back, we previously had elected chairs of courts through the role of the rectors. As Iain Gray said, reform is important, as is accountability. However, in that context, the independence of universities must also be respected.
The Scottish Government has been quick to take powers to itself rather than devolve them and to seek to centrally control organisations such as colleges, which should be empowered to make the decisions locally that best fit their distinctive needs. In the same way, universities must have proper local accountability. However, beyond that, their independence is important.