Scotland’s universities have delivered an extraordinary warning that they are at a “tipping point” following deep SNP funding cuts and cannot continue to provide a “diversity” of excellence.

Universities Scotland, their umbrella group, told a Holyrood inquiry that their public funding has been reduced by 12 per cent since 2010/11 and “they simply cannot absorb any more cuts.”

Alastair Sim, the organisation’s director, said universities now only receive only 90 per cent of the cost of teaching Scottish students – who get ‘free’ tuition – and their “world-leading” research is under-funded at 86 per cent of what it costs to deliver.

He concluded they are in an “unsustainable situation” and warned that further cuts would put at risk the quality of both teaching and research.

When combined with problems caused by Brexit, he said that “universities find themselves face-to-face with a sustainability challenge that is reaching the point where they risk not being able to operate today without damaging the ability to do so tomorrow”

His outspoken intervention followed an official Audit Scotland report in July that warned cuts in funding meant maintaining the country’s world-leading reputation for research would be “challenging.”

It also found that Scottish school leavers are being squeezed out of university because the SNP’s cap on places, imposed so that free tuition is affordable, has not kept pace with the increasing number of applications.

Liz Smith, the Scottish Tories’ Shadow Education Minister, said universities are becoming increasingly reliant on private income streams and fees paid by English and international students thanks to Scottish Government cuts.

She warned the SNP’s refusal to review higher education funding “and the discriminatory cap system for domicile Scots” if forcing many universities to reduce staff numbers and course flexibility.

Iain Gray, Scottish Labour’s higher education spokesman, said: “This is a stark warning from the director of Universities Scotland which exposes the impact of SNP cuts to education over years.” He added: “This is an irresponsible failure to invest in our country’s future and it has to stop.”

The Audit Scotland report said higher education funding had been cut by six per cent between 2010/11 and warned this created an “underlying risk” to university finances. Universities Scotland said higher education funding was cut by a further six per cent in the following two years. 

Giving evidence to Holyrood’s public audit committee yesterday, Mr Sim said: “It’s essential to students, staff and the wider economy that Scotland has a diversity of truly excellent universities. We do not currently have a sustainable basis for this.”

Speaking following his appearance, he added: “The first ever comprehensive audit of university finances shows the sector at a tipping point and there have been further cuts beyond the scope of the report.”

He welcomed the sector’s close engagement with Scottish ministers but warned that universities “do need to see an end to the erosion of public funding for teaching and research in this year’s budget as the first step to recovering a sustainable position.”

Mr Sim spoke out after Professor Sally Mapstone used her installation as St Andrews’ new principal to say she would examine making the university less reliant on public funding. The Scottish Government was approached for a comment.

Source: Tlegraph