News digest
Weekly news summary 30 January - 5 February
SFC mentions
EU countries "should reimburse" host countries for educating their students - the Dutch education minister has suggested that Germany could be asked to reimburse the Dutch government for the cost of the many German students who study there. The suggestion may be of interest to other countries, as under European Union guidelines, cross-border students pay the same low, or in some cases no, tuition fees as native students. Britain operates a system of 'transfer payments', where devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decide how to allocate funds after the British treasury transfers a bulk sum. In Scotland, Scottish students are fully subsidised: "Universities will look to the government for funding, not to the individual student," a spokesman for SFC said. British students from outside Scotland will pay tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year.
International Herald Tribune
MSP backs student campaign - Paisley MSP George Adam has backed the Fair Share, Fair Access campaign by students at the University of the West of Scotland aimed at preventing students from dropping out. There are around 9,000 students based at the University's Paisley campus but in 2010 1,500 of them dropped out. Mr Adam has written to SFC in a bid to get funds to investigate why students drop out.
Paisley Daily Express
Colleges could lose charitable status - under proposals by Education Secretary Michael Russell to overhaul college governance, colleges could lose their charitable status due to greater ministerial control. Colleges receive tax and rates relief because they are licenced by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), but Mr Russell's proposals to give ministers powers to oversee the appointment of chairs of colleges' governing bodies may breach OSCR regulations that does not permit "direct or otherwise" control of their activities. Mr Russell has already made it clear that he wants colleges to look at regional management boards, which would receive funding from SFC to then distribute to individual institutions.
The Times
Two Glasgow colleges start merger talks - Anniesland and Cardonald colleges have announced they are to begin merger talks. Both colleges' boards have told SFC they wish to start merger discussions and are aiming for full merger, subject to satisfactory due diligence being completed. The colleges "offer a complimentary portfolio of courses, have worked together on many collaborative projects in recent years and have established a good working relationship." Glasgow has already seen the merger of three of its colleges - Central, Metropolitan and Nautical - to create the new City of Glasgow College, which is to develop a new £200 million campus in the city. SFC is contributing £193 million to the project, with £5.67 million coming from the college.
Glasgow Evening Times
University principals to face greater scrutiny over pay - a review of the governance of Scottish universities has recommended scrapping bonuses for principals, greater scrutiny over their pay and remuneration committees that decide their pay to include staff and students. Other recommendations include making the running of universities more democratic, including holding meetings of university ruling courts in public, electing the chairs of courts and ensuring courts have greater representations from students, lay members and women. SFC is also to commission the drafting of a Code of Good Governance for higher education institutions. A second report into how Scottish colleges are run has supported Scottish Government's calls for a new regional structure for colleges.
The Herald, BBC
Also: The Times, The Scotsman, Courier & Advertiser, The Daily Telegraph
First birthday for UHI - the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) has marked its first birthday by looking forward to an increase in student numbers and more courses. Work began earlier this month on building a new campus in Inverness. Providing skills for the renewable energy sector is a main priority for the University. The Privy Council granted UHI full university status in February last year and in December, SFC awarded UHI an increased teaching grant of £25.1 million allowing 1,000 additional student places.
Press and Journal
MSP angered by plans to train more teachers - Renfrewshire South MSP Hugh Henry has claimed the announcement by the Scottish Government to recommend more teachers are trained is "dishonest" following an employment "crisis" for newly-qualified teachers a few years ago. The Government plans to issue advice to SFC that universities should increase the number of student teachers in 2012-13, ready to join the teaching workforce in 2013, as figures show primary and secondary school rolls are going up.
Paisley Daily Express
College funding cuts announced - SFC has confirmed that colleges teaching budgets were being cut by £33.5 million and the student support grant by £11.3 million. The overall budget for colleges for the next academic year will be nearly £500 million and the amount available for teaching is £388 million.
The Herald, The Scotsman, The Daily Telegraph, Courier & Advertiser
Inquiry into bullying claims at college - an investigation has been launched into the running of Adam Smith College amid claims of a culture that "rewards victimisation and bullying" and that a report into the allegations was buried. SFC has confirmed it is looking into the allegations after being instructed to intervene by Education Secretary Michael Russell. A website and online campaign has been launched against principal Dr Craig Thomson. An SFC spokeswoman said: "It is essential that the appropriate procedures are used by colleges and their boards to deal with these types of allegations and ensure that governance is maintained. We have written to the acting chair of the board to seek further detail of the allegations and the actions the college is taking to address these issues… We expect to see these issues resolved quickly."
The Scotsman, The Herald, Courier & Advertiser, Times Educational Supplement Scotland
Cuts 'will ruin youth job prospects' - opposition parties joined forces to attack SNP budget cuts to colleges of £74 million by 2015. Labour education spokesman Hugh Henry said that Scottish colleges were needed "now more than ever" with the "unemployment crisis" which is affecting Scotland. A report from SFC shows that colleges helped to boost the economy by providing trained workers for companies and allowing them to create jobs.
Daily Record
College seeks extra bursary cash - Dumfries and Galloway College has been awarded an additional £30,000 for student bursary support from SFC following the annual redistribution. The College had already received £1.8 million for student bursaries and the additional funds will be used to cover any further requests for childcare support.
Annandale Herald Series, Annandale Observer
Colleges to form 12 regional areas - Scotland's 41 colleges are to be reduced to 12 regional areas, Education Secretary Michael Russell has announced. Mr Russell also announced the publication of the review into college governance by Russel Griggs, together with a parallel review of higher education by Ferdinand von Prondzynski. Professor Griggs' proposals include handing more control to central government, increasing the accountability of chairs and boards and a return to national pay bargaining. Griggs also recommends the creation of an "FE strategic forum" to provide central direction and guidance. Chaired by the education secretary, it would include the regional chairs, staff and student representatives, the chairs of Skills Development Scotland and SFC, and representatives from the university and schools sectors.
Times Educational Supplement Scotland
Universities and colleges to hire recruitment consultants - Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC), the buying arm of Scotland's further and higher education institutions, has placed an advert to find up to five recruitment agencies to fill vacancies in the sector. The four-year contract, valued at £20-40 million, covers Scotland's colleges and universities as well as institutions across the UK. This follows college budget cuts of more than £70 million and has led to criticism from opposition politicians and the Taxpayers' Alliance. An SFC spokesman said: "Procurement of goods and services is a matter for individual universities and colleges. As a funding body we expect colleges and universities to ensure value for money in all areas of their work."
Daily Mail
Universities
University applications up as Scotland bucks UK slump trend - figures from Ucas show total applications to Scottish universities have increased by 4%, with some institutions seeing increases of as much as 20%. Across the UK, applications have declined by 7%, with the new tuition fees of up to £9,000 thought to be putting people off. The number of students applying to study in Scotland from the rest of the UK (RUK) has declined by 6% after the Scottish Government allowed universities to charge them fees. Education Secretary Michael Russell said: "These figures will be welcome reading for Scotland's education sector and the resilience shown by applications to Scotland compared with the rest of the UK are a vindication of the approach the Scottish Government has taken on student fees and funding the sector."
The Herald, The Scotsman, Metro, Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, Press and Journal, Courier & Advertiser, Glasgow Evening Times
Tuition fees are 'anti-Scottish', says Russell - Education Secretary Michael Russell told MSPs that taxpayer-funded higher education was a Scottish tradition and suggested that opposition to the policy came from a "dreadful anti-Scottish, anti-educational bloc". The comment has led to renewed accusations of the SNP insulting anyone who disagrees with them and calls for an apology.
The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Scotsman, Press and Journal, The Herald, Courier & Advertiser
Colleges
Adam Smith College "has real problems" - an academic at Adam Smith College has claimed there are "real problems" at the College amid allegations of bullying and harassment by a minority of senior staff. Chairman Graham Johnston stepped down from his position last week. A website has been set up with an online petition calling on the Scottish Government to suspend principal Dr Craig Thomson and the vice-principal. The website also calls on unions to pass a vote of no confidence in the principal.
Courier & Advertiser