Fewer Scots going into higher education

Shadow Education Minister Claire Baker has blamed the SNP government for a meagre rise in Scottish university students and called for a review of the sector.

Higher Education Statistics Agency figures show that in 2008/09 the number of English students starting degrees in England rose by 7.7 percent, compared to only a 3 percent increase in Scotland.

"The Scottish Government's approach to students support is likely to be putting prospective Scottish students off," said the Scottish Labour MSP.

Ms Baker blamed discrepancies in student income for the figures, with those south of the border potentially able to access £1,300 more in funding each year. 

She said that the SNP's abolition of the graduate endowment would not help students faced with funding a four year course. 

The original purpose of the endowment, introduced by Labour with Liberal Democrat support, was to provide a pool of funding towards financing future students.
 
"Labour is calling for an independent review of both university funding and student support to find a lasting solution to these problems," said Ms Baker.
 
Baker's latest attack follows an open letter in April 2009, which she signed along with education representatives from the other main opposition parties and the president of the National Union of Students. 

The letter called for a £7,000 'minimum income' for the poorest students, as well as higher loans across the board and increased money available for hardship and childcare funds.
 
A spokesperson for the Scottish government questioned Baker's reading of the statistics, pointing out that since 1999-00 there had been a 28.4 percent rise in Scottish domiciled undergraduate entrants, compared to 28.3 percent in England. The spokesperson dismissed the call for a review and defended the SNP's record of widening access to higher education:

“We have taken a range of measures to support and encourage students who want to attend university including the abolition of the graduate endowment fee to the benefit of 50,000 students and an investment of £38 million to introduce grants for up to 20,000 part-time students."
 
The investment package was announced last year after consultation with NUS and the other political parties.

It included bursaries of £1,227 for students with no support from parental income, and a rise of £622 in the maximum loans available to all students. 

In addition £5 million from the allocation went towards helping students with childcare needs.
 
Spokespeople from NUS and the Scottish Liberal Democrats welcomed the package, but said more could have been done to direct money to students most in need.  
 
However, none of the parties posed the question of whether continual increases in undergraduate numbers were to be desired. 

National Statistics for 2008/09 showed that 62 percent of school leavers went into further or higher education, six percent higher than the previous year, while only 18 percent began employment, a fall of seven percent.