The graduate endowment: Carving out a legacy

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It may not be the main legacy they so crave, but the SNP have etched themselves into history this week by being the party of government that once again made higher education free to all Scottish nationals.

The graduate endowment—the last remaining direct expense associated with a university degree in this country, introduced as the 2001 Labour executive abolished Scottish tuition fees—was finally voted out of existence by the Scottish Parliament. While the fee itself is relatively small, this symbolic step is hugely important in Scotland’s drive to create an education system based, in the words of education minister Fiona Hyslop, on “ability to learn, not ability to pay.”

Making the Scottish university degree free is the first step towards creating a truly egalitarian system of higher education and, with it, equalising the opportunities presented to the populace as a whole. While there is a long time remaining before the bigger obstacles to entering higher education are tackled, such as extreme poverty, the Scottish Government must be praised for overcoming Conservative and Labour opposition to the bill and fulfilling their manifesto promise.

However, if the SNP believe that they have earned an opportunity to rest on their laurels, the consequences could prove not merely disappointing but disastrous.

The immediate concern, as covered extensively over the past weeks, is the state of university funding. First and foremost, standards at Scottish universities cannot be allowed to slip, and the Scottish Parliament must ensure that the executive is forced to provide the funding universities require. While in England, top-up fees—for all their drawbacks—do provide universities with the mechanism to raise the cash they need. In Scotland, they rely on centrally provided revenue. Unless this funding is increased, Scotland’s education system risks falling behind.

The second point, and one that is raised with the scrapping of the graduate endowment in mind, is the question of providing financial support for poorer students. The endowment was, after all, created to provide bursary funding to students from less advantaged backgrounds, and this money must again be provided from the centre. Fiona Hyslop has promised government funding will continue through cash raised from general taxation, but it is important that this money is safeguarded, especially around budget time and especially under a future, less socially-minded government.

It is with these reservations in mind, that The Journal congratulates the Scottish Government on a move beneficial to all students and for making a big ideological step in the right direction.

In November, Iain McWhirter, one of Scotland’s leading columnists, claimed the SNP were trying to implement “the most progressive political agenda seen in Britain for three decades.” This is one success. We hope for many more.

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