Scottish universities challenge thrown down to Labour by SNP to fix £100m black hole

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has issued a challenge to Labour to secure the future of Scotland's under-pressure universities if it wins the upcoming UK election.

The SNP minister was quizzed in Holyrood about the nation's higher education institutions amid a double whammy blow of falling applications from fee-paying international students, and cuts in funding from the Scottish Government.

MSPs raised revelations in The Scotsman on Saturday showing the sector is facing a shortfall of more than £100m this year as a result of plummeting numbers of taught postgraduate students from overseas, with next year expected to be worse.

The crisis has been linked to UK government immigration policies and the rhetoric of Conservative ministers.

Pam Duncan-Glancy, Labour education spokesperson at Holyrood, also referenced remarks from Sir Paul Grice, the principal of Queen Margaret University, in Scotland on Sunday last weekend.

The university head said the Scottish Government had not met "its part of the deal" on funding its free tuition policy, as he backed cross-party talks on a "compromise" model.

Ms Duncan-Glancy asked the education secretary whether she believed the Government was properly funding universities and challenged her to answer those “who say otherwise".

Ms Gilruth responded with a challenge to Labour over university funding.

“Of course, the Labour Party seem to have been adhering to Conservative spending in relation to public services, including funding for our universities," she said.

“So if the member would like additionality to our university sector then I'm sure she will be having a word with her bosses in London around about the allocation of funding to the university sector, and Labour's proposals.”

She added: “I am content very much with the funding that this Government is providing to the university sector in the context of a funding cut from the UK government.

“If her party would seek to reverse that funding cut, I'm sure we could have a conversation about the sustainability of Scotland's university sector, but until the Labour Party can take that decision, and I have not yet heard it, then I don't think we are going to be having an honest conversation about sustainability.”

The future of Scotland's universities is due to be discussed again at a hearing of Holyrood's education committee on Wednesday morning.