Colleges and universities ‘disappointed’ by Scottish Government funding U-turn

College and university bosses in Scotland have been left “extremely disappointed” and “dismayed” by a Scottish Government U-turn which will see £46 million axed from their budget this year.

The money, which had been previously promised to institutions as part of the 2023-24 Budget, has now been “identified as a necessary saving”, MSPs on Holyrood’s Education Committee were told.

Convener Graeme Dey advised the committee that Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth had written to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to advise it of the change “with regret”.

But the withdrawal of the cash – which amounts to a loss of £20 million for universities and £26 million for colleges – prompted a furious reaction from college and university leaders and opposition politicians at Holyrood.

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, the convener of Universities Scotland – which represents the country’s 19 higher education institutions – said they were “extremely disappointed by the Scottish Government’s decision to cut the funding promised to higher education”.

She said the additional £20 million for universities had been “far from what was required” but had been a “welcome step in the right direction”.

Prof Mapstone added it was “dismaying” to see higher education “being deprioritised by the Scottish Government”.

She said: “The Scottish Government needs a plan for universities, staff and students. It cannot keep expecting to have world-class universities on the cheap.”

Shona Struthers, the chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said they were “deeply disappointed and dismayed by this U-turn from the Scottish Government”.

Speaking about the funding decision, Ms Struthers added: “Removing the equivalent of £1 million from each college is completely inexplicable.

“Colleges are already cash strapped, making cuts to courses and winding down parts of their offer due to a lack of funding, not a lack of ambition from colleges or demand from students or employers.”

Complaining that “promised money has now been withdrawn”, she added: “Ministers are relying on colleges to provide hundreds of thousands of students with training and education each year but with less and less funding. It simply can’t be done any more.

“Colleges are needed more than ever to mitigate poverty in communities across the country, provide life-changing opportunities for people, and create the future workforce which will tackle the climate emergency.

“Removing funding previously planned for colleges is the wrong approach in delivering any of these ambitions.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said that in the “most challenging financial environment since devolution” there were “very difficult decisions” that had had to be made.

The spokesperson confirmed: “As a result of these pressures, the additional uplift of £26 million for colleges and £20 million for universities announced as part of the 2023-24 Budget can no longer be provided this year.”

The statement continued: “The Scottish Government continues to spend nearly £2 billion a year on Scotland’s universities and colleges through the SFC alone.

“Research and innovation funding for universities has increased, with additional funding allocated for high priority maintenance across college estates.”

But Scottish Conservative education spokesman Stephen Kerr accused ministers of a “total betrayal of our education sector”.

He said: “Millions in funding that had been earmarked for our college and university sectors has now been brutally snatched away from them by the SNP.

“At a time when our colleges and universities are already under severe financial pressure, losing this money that they will have budgeted for the year ahead is a hammer blow to them.”

Calling for ministers to answer questions in Parliament on their decision, Mr Kerr said the funding U-turn would be a “bombshell for those involved in our education sector” and would “put the future prospects of many college and university students at risk”.

Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “This is a complete betrayal of Scottish students and staff who work in education here.”

She added: “Jenny Gilruth has followed in the footsteps of her predecessor Shirley-Anne Somerville and left Scotland’s colleges and universities high and dry.”

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie said: “This is no way to run a government and no way to educate young people.”

Mr Rennie said colleges and universities had already had to make tough decisions on their own budgets, and added: “This further cut won’t help them educate more people and ready them for our economy, which is desperate for skilled and educated workers.”