Small is beautiful

Having studied and worked for three very different universities, in an academic career spanning nearly three decades, I can definitely see the merits in keeping the smaller Scottish universities such as Abertay, Queen Margaret, Napier, Robert Gordon’s and Glasgow Caledonia autonomous from their larger neighbours.

This is because the larger traditional universities can stick to a traditional, less applied curriculum while still attracting the highest qualified students, while universities like Abertay can offer innovative, more applied courses such as computer gaming and applied biotechnology, which are not taught at its more illustrious neighbour, Dundee University.

Interestingly, the latter was once itself an outpost of St Andrew’s University and nobody would dare mention these two universities merging now.

The smaller universities like Abertay also seem to attract more students from a lower socio-economic background, thereby widening the university experience to those who have not necessarily achieved the higher qualifications required by the traditional universities.

That is not to say the degrees at the smaller universities are inferior; on the contrary. As all universities undergo moderation from external universities high standards are set, especially at Honours level, where a first-class degree is probably as hard to achieve as at the traditional universities.

Rather than merge the smaller universities with their neighbours I would propose to end the “separate development system” we have in this country and merge or make grant aided (partial fee-paying), all the Catholic schools in Scotland.

This would result in reducing the money required for the education cake, without reducing the number of university cherries on top of it!

Dr Douglas H Lester

Well Brae

Falkland, Fife