Match European investment in universities, SRC demands

Following a meeting of the Edinburgh University Students’ Representative Council (SRC) a Scotland-wide campaign has begun to bring funding for higher education in line with other European countries.

The decision was made by the SRC to campaign for an "immediate" increase in funding. Students at all the major Scottish universities will be invited to take part in the campaign by sending postcards and video clips, writing letters and emails and speaking to local politicians.

Chairman of the SRC Adam Ramsay explained that on average countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) invest 1.2 per cent of their GDP in higher education, while the top quartile invest 1.5 per cent. However, according to Universities Scotland, Scotland falls short of the average and far short of the top quartile by investing only 1.05 per cent of its GDP in universities. The cost of reaching the average would be £122 million. Further to this the cost of reaching the top quartile would be an estimated £370 million.

Speaking to The Journal, Mr Ramsay said: “Initially we are concentrating on getting the issue into internal party discussions then later in the term getting students more involved. But party negotiation must come first. Of course all the parties will say further investment in education is high on their priority list, if not top, but the aim is to get them all agreeing on policy. It all depends on what there is political will for.

“Last year the government gave £150 million in tax cuts to small business owners just because they lobbied for it. This is the exact amount we are looking for to get up to the OECD average, it is not a radical figure and economically speaking it makes more sense to invest in education than five miles of motorway in Glasgow or a new Forth Road Bridge. I wouldn’t invest in roads, I would invest in people.”

This is not the first time figures from Universities Scotland have prompted political action. The decision to lobby echoes the challenges set to the Government by the Joint Future Thinking Taskforce report.

Universities Scotland issued three challenges to the government, the first of which was: “By 2028 Scotland must be in the top decile internationally in terms of the percentage of GDP invested in its universities and in the top quartile of OECD countries for national investment in research, development and innovation. These are not excessively ambitious targets for a country aspiring to develop an advanced knowledge-based economy.”

The forthcoming student campaign calls for a far more ambitious deadline than that proposed in the taskforce report.

Carys Evans, president of Napier Students' Association, was also present at the SRC meeting. She said: “One of the good things about Scotland is the access to higher education. But as president I want my students to have the same advantages as students in England. Students in Scotland do miss out; the quality of lecturing could be better.”