Meeting of the Parliament 22 September 2015
We can trade numbers, but I have just given factual, accurate numbers for the past two years, which come from the learned societies group. If the cabinet secretary wants things to get better, she should take responsibility for her own record.
On the loss of almost 150,000 part-time college places, the Scottish Government is always keen to tell us that those places were replaced by full-time places. That sounds quite reasonable. However, although 150,000 part-time places were cut in the five years to 2013-14, only 3,000 full-time places were created as a result. In other words, for every 50 part-time places cut—for every 50 part-time students who could not access a course and were turned away—one full-time place was created.
I feel passionately about the 48 per cent cut in part-time students, because some years ago I was a part-time student. As a teenager with a full-time job I joined the queues for night classes at Dundee College of Commerce to do highers and typing qualifications. I taught night classes for many years. I could never have gone to university later if I had not had the opportunity to do a part-time course. I ask the Scottish Government not to dismiss part-time courses as hobby courses, because to do so is to insult many people in this country.
It is also disappointing that college places for the over-25s have been cut by 41 per cent. There are 74,000 fewer places than there were five years ago. The nationalist Government shows a distinct lack of understanding of people who deserve a second chance after their school experience.