Education Tracker: Committees By Paris Gourtsoyannis 2011: Education Committee work programme
Inquiry into the educational attainment of looked-after children The committee has agreed to hold an inquiry into
the educational attainment of looked-after children and has launched a call for written evidence. The remit of the committee’s inquiry is to
consider the reasons why more significant progress has not been made since devolution in improving the educational attainment of looked- after children and what can be done to address this. The committee launched a call for written
evidence on 8 September 2011. The closing date for the written evidence is 7 October 2011. The committee has also commissioned research
from SPICe. This research will detail the relevant policies and guidance in this area since devolution and highlight the evaluations which have been undertaken into the success of these measures. The committee expects to take oral evidence
in November 2011 on the specific factors which have been identified as being the key barriers to improved educational attainment. The committee expects to report to Parliament in December 2011.
Budget scrutiny on further and higher education funding The committee has agreed to focus its scrutiny
of the Draft Budget 2012-13 and Spending Review 2011 on further and higher education funding. The remit of the committee’s budget scrutiny is
to consider the extent to which the allocations in the budget documents will be sufficient to meet the Scottish Government’s priorities for further and higher education. The committee launched a call for written
evidence on 8 September 2011. The closing date for the written evidence is 27 September 2011. To inform its scrutiny, the committee is seeking
written views on the remit and the following areas— • The measures that the FE and HE sectors have taken to improve efficiency and the extent to which further efficiencies can be realised;
• The extent to which the budgetary allocations set out in the budget documents will help to ensure that the sectors can maintain their contribution to the wider economy and continue to provide education and training that is relevant to the labour market;
• Whether, over the Spending Review period, the number of students from outside Scotland who study in Scotland, and the number of Scottish-domiciled students who study outside Scotland is likely to change. If so, what the budgetary implications would be;
• Over the Spending Review period, how tuition fee levels in the rest of the UK are likely to impact on Scottish HEIs;
• How to ensure that all types of learners, for example, part time and full time, are able to access further and higher education.
The committee will take oral evidence in October 2011. 49
www.holyrood.com 19 September 2011
The committee will report to the Finance Committee in November 2011.
Education Scotland The committee will take evidence from Bill
Maxwell, Transitional Chief Executive of Education Scotland at its meeting on 20 September 2011. Review of teacher employment in Scotland The committee will take evidence from
stakeholders affected by the review at its meeting on 20 September 2011. It will also take evidence from Professor Gerry McCormac, chair of the review, at its meeting on 27 September 2011.
07.09.11: Legislative Programme
The Scottish Government will ensure that access to higher education in Scotland is based on the ability to succeed rather than the ability to pay, First Minister Alex Salmond said as he outlined the Scottish Government’s legislative programme.
“We will maintain bursary support to help young
people remain engaged in college and training. We will invest in 14,500 pre-employment training opportunities and we shall continue to fund the educational maintenance allowance for young people in school and college,” he said. Its key commitment, however, will be to those young
people who “yearn to be productive,” he said. He continued: “No young person should go through
school only to become an unemployment statistic at the age of 16. We will not allow that in Scotland. We already have 85 per cent of school leavers going on to positive outcomes – that is, employment, education or training. The 125,000 modern apprenticeships over five years will build on that success.” He also announced the government’s opportunities
for all initiative: “a commitment that every single 16 to 19-year-old in Scotland will be offered a learning or training place if they are not already in a job or a modern apprenticeship, or in education.” Labour leader Iain Gray said his party agreed with
the government on the principle of free education. However, he said the funding situation is “spiralling out of control”. Of course, fees for students from England, Wales
and Northern Ireland had to rise and, of course, the fundamental problem is caused by soaring fees in the rest of the United Kingdom – I do not deny that. However, we now have a crazy situation in which the University of Edinburgh is the most expensive university in Britain.” In choosing to set their fees at the top end of the
range announced by Education Secretary Michael Russell, the universities are “laughing at him and going their own way,” Gray said. “He needs to get a grip, and quickly,” he added.
Debate 08.09.11: FMQs
Ken Macintosh asked the First Minister “what agreement the Scottish Government has made with universities regarding access arrangements for students from the rest of the United Kingdom.”
Alex Salmond responded that no student attending
a Scottish university should pay fees, but since the UK Government had allowed other UK universities to raise the tuition cap, Scottish universities were forced to charge students from the rest of the UK a similar amount. Macintosh followed up by recalling that Education
Secretary Mike Russell had “suggested that Scottish universities might wish to show restraint. To date, all universities in Scotland—bar one—have gone for the maximum of £9,000. Is that acceptable?” “I will begin by correcting Ken Macintosh,” said
Salmond. “The University of Aberdeen, Glasgow Caledonian University and Heriot-Watt University have not set fees at the maximum of £9,000. In the case of Caledonian, the figure of £9,000 does not appear at all. All three universities have set three years of fees for a four-year course so, in other words, one year will be free. That means that, for those universities, the average fee per year is £6,250, which is less than the technical working group conclusion of £6,375. “Even if we include the University of Edinburgh,
the average is £6,937. In defence of the University of Edinburgh, I point out that, as Ken Macintosh will know, it has announced substantial bursary and scholarship schemes to protect the diversity of the base of students who come from elsewhere in the United Kingdom. I hope that as many universities as possible follow the example of those three universities and that the average figure is close to the suggestion by the universities in the technical working group scenario.” The First Minister concluded that headlines about
tuition fees of £9,000 had resulted in thousands of calls to the SAAS from worried Scottish students who believed they would not longer be able to attend university for free. Salmond warned MSPs to engage in debate responsibly, and ended the session with a flourish: “the rocks will melt with the sun before I see Scottish students charged tuition fees.”
Events Diary
20th September Youth Unemployment: Scotland’s untapped potential A Holyrood magazine conference, Edinburgh
21st September Heriot Watt University Event Heriot Watt University - 18.00 - Committee Room 1
27th September Scotland’s Universities - Ambitions for Scotland 18.30 - Garden Lobby
19 September 2011
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