The father of free university education calls for changes

Published on Wednesday 28 October 2009 09:06

STUDENT contributions to university education must be reconsidered, according to Sir Andrew Cubie – the man whose report a decade ago resulted in free higher education in Scotland.

Sir Andrew, who is currently in India, is due to make the call for a review of university funding tonight via pre-recorded video to a National Union of Students Scotland reception in the Scottish Parliament.

His original report ten years ago led to tuition fees being replaced with a graduate endowment, later scrapped in favour of free education.

While Sir Andrew still does not back the idea of tuition fees, he is to call for a return to graduate contributions to ensure that Scotland's universities do not fall behind those elsewhere in the world.

He will say: "These are difficult issues, but I think unless we look very comprehensively at aspects of that funding and look carefully at the propositions which come from elsewhere, then we are not going to be able to compete as we should and my strong belief is some form of additional funding has to come."