Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton has hit out at the SNP for cutting funding to Scottish universities. The cuts will mean that there will be around 1,400 fewer spots for Scottish undergraduate students when the next academic year commences in September.
The cuts will mean that pupils in schools across the Borders will be facing greater competition for spots at Scottish Universities this year.
Tuition remains free for Scottish undergraduates who chose to stay in Scotland for their studies. However, this policy has led to caps being placed on the number of homegrown students that Scottish universities can accept.
Students from the rest of the UK and overseas are not subject to the same limits because their places are self-funded or paid by their respective governments.
Ms Hamilton has warned that this latest funding cut adds to a growing list of failures by the SNP on education. She went on to say that the current Scottish Government has shown that it cannot be trusted to uphold Scotland’s reputation for excellence in this field.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“Failing Scotland’s education system from nurseries to some of the world’s leading academic institutions will be an enduring legacy of the SNP’s time in government.
“Scotland rightly prides itself on its reputation for educational excellence. However, the SNP’s chronic mismanagement of our education system is eroding that reputation.
“I am especially worried about the impact cuts to university funding will have on the aspirations of many school pupils here in the Borders who want to go to university in Scotland.
“I understand that university is not for everyone, however I believe it is important that those with the credentials to go on to higher education are given the opportunity to do so.
“The SNP’s policy on higher education funding shows that they are quite happy to deprive them of that opportunity.”
