Meeting of the Parliament 03 June 2015
I agree that our university sector makes an outstanding contribution to Scotland academically, socially and culturally. That is why the Scottish Government is maintaining university budgets while the UK Government cuts its funding for English universities.
The major point for me is that Scotland is a leading nation in higher education, as the cabinet secretary said. It has been mentioned that four of its universities are in the world top 200, and our higher education institutions undertake research that is of world-leading quality.
It is an important fact that education is free of fees in Scotland. Compared with the cost of studying in England, free tuition saves more than 120,000 undergraduate students up to £27,000.
The final point that I will develop further is that the public have the right to expect universities to be accountable. That is why we must look at the governance of our higher education.
The Scottish Government is maintaining university budgets while the UK Government is cutting its funding. The investment in Scotland’s universities supports their world-class and high-impact research and helps them to build links around the world. Many of my colleagues have mentioned how successful that has been. The Scottish Government is providing more than £1 billion a year for the higher education sector in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Scotland’s reputation in the university sector is well known throughout the world. That reputation is proven internationally by the fact that Scotland is a leading nation in higher education. The editor of the Times Higher Education rankings, Phil Baty, has said that Scotland is
“really standing out as one of the strongest higher education countries in the world”.
That alone tells us what other people think of the higher education sector in Scotland.
My colleagues have mentioned that the public have a right to expect universities to be accountable. That is why we rightly expect higher education institutions to adhere to the highest standards of governance. The aim of the proposed higher education governance bill is to modernise and strengthen governance and embed the principles of democracy and accountability in the higher education sector.
If we were looking at the higher education sector from day 1, we would not necessarily create the governance model that we have. Our universities and institutions have a rich history, which is part of the issues that we are dealing with. We have some of the most autonomous institutions in the world, but we must find a way to balance that and ensure that there is accountability for public money, that there are trade union and other organisations’ representatives and that universities become part of their local community. One of the most important points is that we need to ensure that the universities continue to have strong democratic accountability in their governance arrangements and remain fit for purpose in modern Scotland.
The principal and vice-chancellor of Robert Gordon University, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, has said:
“The proposals set out by the Government are important elements in getting this balance between autonomy and public confidence right. Scotland’s universities are a great success story. They have nothing to fear from this proposed legislation and a lot to gain.”
That is one of the most important points.
Any proposals that the Scottish Government brings forward will add to the fantastic work that our universities do. We must ensure that our universities continue to thrive internationally and locally and that they are open and accountable modern institutions that continue to deliver for Scotland.
15:08