The Scottish Government has rejected calls to reintroduce a form of graduate tax.

The move is being suggested by Sir Andrew Cubie, who paved the way for the scrapping of tuition fees in Scotland shortly after devolution.

He is expected to use a speech on Wednesday to call for a rethink of the way Scottish further and higher education is funded, amid concerns that Scottish institutions are suffering in comparison to their southern counterparts.

His message has been recorded for the National Union of Students in Scotland, which is hosting its annual reception for MSPs in Holyrood.

The Cubie Committee recommended the scrapping of fees in favour of a graduate levy, but the endowment was scrapped when the SNP took power at the Scottish Parliament.

However, while the scrapping of the graduate endowment was welcomed by some, student leaders also pointed out that it did little to tackle the day to day hardship experienced by current students.

NUS Scotland president Liam Burns said: "It is crucial that we get greater levels of support to the poorest of students. We struggle to attract students from poorer backgrounds and, when we do, we struggle to keep them.

"While Sir Andrew has stated that we need to look at how we pay for universities, NUS Scotland believes that the pressing concern is reforming the student support system.

Scottish Universities have also argued for funding reforms, claiming they are struggling to remain competitive and attract the best staff because English institutions are able to charge students.

Sir Andrew's call for a post-graduation bill was immediately dismissed by the Scottish Government, which said a review would be premature because it is about to distribute an extra £30 million funding.

However, opposition MSPs have backed his comments.

Labour's higher education spokeswoman, Claire Baker, said: "It is clear that the current system of student support needs to be reviewed.

"We need to see what ways we can get more money directly into students' pockets and Labour supports Sir Andrew Cubie in that goal."

Tory education spokesman Murdo Fraser added that his party and some academics had already called for an independent review of higher education.

He said: "There are widespread concerns across the sector about what could be a growing funding gap between Scottish institutions and those in England.

"Scottish universities simply cannot afford to lose top quality academics, and cannot see investment in facilities fall behind those of our counterparts in England."