The Scottish Government’s 2024/25 budget, published on 19 December has indicated there will be £28.5 million of cuts to the university teaching grant. This leaves universities with tough choices to be made as funding continues to erode within the sector. Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland: “The budget outcome for universities means there’s a need…
Tag: scottish government
2024/25 Scottish budget: submission to the Education, Children and Young People’s Committee
We have submitted a brief on the Scottish budget for 2024/25 to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People’s Committee ahead of Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth’s appearance this week on the Scottish budget and post school reform. In our brief, we have highlighted the budgetary pressures the higher education sector…
Budget scrutiny: Submission to the Finance and Public Administration Committee
We have made a submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee ahead of their session tomorrow 9 January to scrutinise the 2024/25 budget, set out by the Scottish Government on 19 December. Our call to action is that additional funding might be found, during the passage of the budget bill, to reduce…
Universities Scotland respond to the Scottish Government’s budget for 2024/25
Universities Scotland has responded to the Scottish Government’s budget for financial year 2024/25 which was published on Tuesday 19th December. For higher education, the budget means: cash cuts of 5.9% to university resource budgets (or a cut of £48.5 million) which primarily covers the cost of teaching Scottish domiciled students.* a 4.7% increase to the…
Response to Scottish Government’s Education Bill consultation
The Scottish Government’s consultation on the forthcoming Education Bill, which will legislate for a qualifications body (to replace SQA) and an inspection agency (to replace the existing function in Education Scotland) closed yesterday. The Education Bill will establish a new qualifications body for Scotland, which will have similar functions to SQA but will also have…
Success for Team Scotland in Paris this weekend
Over the weekend, Universities Scotland’s International team, Ela Kossakowska and Dr David Donaldson attended L’Etudiant Study Abroad Fair in Paris, representing the Scottish higher education sector. They have shared insights into the successful Fair and highlighted the importance of international partnerships and students for Scotland. With the eyes of Scotland focussed on Paris on Saturday,…
Response to Professor Hayward’s independent review of qualifications and assessments
We welcome the independent review of qualifications and assessment by Professor Hayward and have written to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to express our view on this review. Our response focuses on: the inclusion and equality of the report and how we see the addressing of the poverty related attainment gap as a…
Submission to the Education, Children & Young People Committee Budget 2023 to 2024 session
Universities Scotland is extremely disappointed by the Scottish Government’s decision to withdraw £20 million of resource funding allocated to the higher education sector for financial year (FY) 2023/24 and to reverse aspects of the budget decision as supported by the Scottish Parliament in the Budget Bill (now Act) as passed on 21 February 2023.
£20m cut “extremely disappointing”
This afternoon (Tuesday 2 May), Principals of Scotland’s universities were informed by the Scottish Funding Council that the £20 million of additional resource funding allocated to the sector in December’s budget by the Scottish Government is now “not available for distribution and has been identified as a necessary saving”. Universities were told that Scottish Government…
Students’ hopes, uncertainties and university support revealed to Minister on visit to Queen Margaret University
Students attending universities from across Edinburgh met the Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans, Graeme Dey MSP, to share the range of challenges and opportunities they face as undergraduates, in a visit to Queen Margaret University Edinburgh on Thursday 20 April. Universities across Scotland offer active support to their students in…