IN A Student exclusive, Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Conservative shadow education minister, has spoken out against the dangers of SNP education funding cuts.

He adds his voice to a significant group, including Mark Ballard, Rector of the University of Edinburgh, expressing concerns about the future of Scottish higher education.

IN A Student exclusive, Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Conservative shadow education minister, has spoken out against the dangers of SNP education funding cuts.

He adds his voice to a significant group, including Mark Ballard, Rector of the University of Edinburgh, expressing concerns about the future of Scottish higher education.

Fraser told Student that: “There are real concerns in the higher education sector that Scottish institutions are falling behind their English counterparts in terms of funding.”

He added that this would have “serious consequences for the future quality and reputation of Scottish universities.”

This is the first time that the Scottish Conservatives have voiced their disaffection with SNP policy in such strong terms.

The Scottish Conservative party has called for an independently-chaired review on the state of higher education in Scotland.

Fraser has expressed a desire to include a wide range of interested parties in the review.
He has however noted that it would be “unrealistic to expect large additional Government grants”, due to the recent financial turbulence.

In this respect the Scottish Conservatives dismissed Mark Ballard’s call for funding universities with an increased share of general taxation.

Last year Scotland’s university rectors called for an extra £168 million in government funding to keep pace with English and Welsh universities, yet disappointed to recieve just £40 million.

Fraser said that an independent review would be able to rectify the spending problem by looking into “other possible sources of income”.

Rectors from four of Scotland’s ‘ancient’ universities spoke out against the SNP’s funding deal in September, and will welcome the political pressure added by Fraser’s comments.