Gilruth accused of ‘lack of accountability’ over university funding shortfalls

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has been accused of displaying a “staggering lack of accountability” over funding shortfalls at a number of Scottish universities.

It comes after the SNP minister was challenged about the state of the finances of several institutions including the University of Dundee, which announced on Tuesday it plans to cut 632 jobs in an effort to deal with a £35 million deficit.

Raising the issue during First Minister’s Questions last week, Conservative MSP Jamie Greene said eight out of Scotland’s 18 universities are in deficit, totalling £218 million.

Asked on the BBC’s Sunday Show if she agrees with a critical assessment that the current funding model Scottish universities rely upon is “unfair” and “unsustainable”, Ms Gilruth at first suggested the particular challenges facing the University of Dundee are “quite unique”.

She then continued: “Our universities are facing an inordinate amount of challenge, but that’s not a unique situation to Scotland.

“If you look across the United Kingdom, Cardiff, Durham, Newcastle, [are] all considering substantial cuts to their workforce as a result of inflationary pressures.”

Quizzed on the reliance of foreign students paying tuition fees into the system – the numbers of which have fallen in recent years – in order to teach young Scots for free, Ms Gilruth said her party will “never” bring back tuition fees for Scots.

She continued: “You want to isolate the issue of tuition fees and I simply say, that policy decision from the SNP is not going to change. We are not going to bring back tuition fees.”

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs said: “Jenny Gilruth’s lack of accountability is staggering, at a time when Scotland’s universities are facing alarming cuts due to the SNP’s funding model and years of failure to support higher education.

“Her shameful attempt to compare the dire state of university finances in Scotland with elsewhere in the UK highlights the SNP’s unwillingness to face this issue head-on.

“The SNP’s savage cuts have led to the dreadful position that our universities find themselves in, with many now having a question mark over their financial outlook and even their survival.

“Ambitious students should not be forced to stop their further education – but that could be the reality they face if universities continue to be short-changed.

“Rather than trying to ignore this crisis in the hope it goes away, the SNP Government need to listen to the warnings from the sector and explore options for change if we are going to restore Scotland’s reputation for educational excellence.”