A Scottish Funding Council scheme to help poorer pupils into university has been halted after the SNP made a cut to its budget of more than three per cent. The SFC says it will be forced to ditch its project to secure additional places at university for 2016/17 for “widening access” schemes.
The Scottish Government claimed recently that increasing university access for those from deprived areas was a priority. The draft budget last month cut higher education funding from £1,063 million to £1,027 million, despite ministers saying they would “continue to drive forward progress on priorities such as widening access”.
Launched in 2013/14, the widening access project aimed to reserve places at university for students from deprived backgrounds and was supposed to expand in 2016/17.
But in a recent report, it stated: “In light of the 3.3 per cent reduction in SFC’s grant-in-aid and help to minimise reductions in core teaching grant allocations, we have decided that the fourth tranche of additional undergraduate places will not be allocated to universities in AY 2016-17 for the widening access and articulation schemes.”
Jamie Greene, Scottish Conservative candidate for Cunninghame North said he was “outraged at the sheer hypocrisy of the SNP on this issue”.
He told local press that “The SNP stated categorically that it is a priority to help those from less privileged backgrounds get a place at university. But evidence like this tells a completely different story. It’s already bad enough that the Scottish Government is failing to close the attainment gap and that it is failing to address the decline in literacy and numeracy. But now we learn that because of the budget choices made by the SNP the widening access policy is facing major challenges.”
He added “I came from a relatively deprived background and went to James Watt College in Greenock. I know first-hand that further education is just as important as university for many in helping you get on in life. At a recent hustings for 16 and 17 year olds I attended in Kilsyth I heard directly from many young people who were alarmed at the SNP’s record on education – it likes to talk a good game, but when it comes to action it clearly isn’t interested. Kids growing up across North Ayrshire and the West of Scotland deserve better on this issue”