Leaders debate education funding - The Press Association

(UKPA) – 9 hours ago

Political leaders have been challenged by university principals to explain how further education can be paid for amid concern a "funding gap" has been underestimated.

The call was made during a debate, hosted by the Scotsman newspaper, just weeks before the Holyrood election on May 5.

Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott, SNP leader Alex Salmond and Labour leader Iain Gray say they are committed to ruling out fees for university students. Tory leader Annabel Goldie - who described her opponents as a "dismal triumvirate" - said her party is being realistic by saying there will have to be a form of fees.

The debate follows comments by Education Secretary Michael Russell who said the net funding gap in Scotland would be £93 million in 2014-15, following the decision in England to levy fees. However, university groups and opposition leaders have put the figure at around £200 million.

At the latest debate in Edinburgh, Professor Steve Chapman, principal of Heriot-Watt University, said the political pledge "lacks credibility". During a questions and answers session, he said: "Just to assume there will be a £93 million gap that's dead easy to fix, it's just not realistic. It's not credible."

Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea, principal of the University of Edinburgh, said: "It's wonderful to hear a commitment to higher education. We don't know the size of the gap yet. We had two higher education summits, we had a technical working group, and we've got a way of computing the gap." But he said the numbers will only be calculated when the English fees become clear after July 12, suggesting the average fee there could be as high as £8,750.

Mr Scott said: "We do believe we can meet that funding gap while not having fees in Scotland or by not having any form of graduate endowment or that kind of mechanism. I think it's a straight political choice about priorities and budgets in Scotland."

Mr Gray said: "The preference would always be to have as few barriers as possible, to have it as free as possible."

Mr Salmond, the first minister, said Labour had performed a U-turn on the issue, saying that the higher estimate is inaccurate.

Miss Goldie said: "I think we've seen from this dismal triumvirate a very clear demonstration of not being clear about the challenges and not being credible about the solutions."

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