Education and Lifelong Learning
The next item of business is portfolio questions on education and lifelong learning. In order to get as many members in as possible, I would be grateful for succinct questions and answers.
College Reforms (Adults with Learning Difficulties)
When college is the right choice of learning for students with learning difficulties, our reforms will place greater emphasis on equipping them with the skills that they need for life and work. We will engage with groups representing the interests of those learners to ensure that we make progress.
Now that we know that significant cuts are occurring in courses for adults with learning difficulties, what is the Government doing—now, this year—to provide opportunities for young people who want to learn but are told that they are either too old or there is no place for them?
As I have pointed out, colleges are providing courses for those for whom college is the right choice of learning. Colleges are required to set out in their outcome agreements how they will ensure access to entry-level courses. The Scottish Government, working with the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council and Scotland’s Colleges, is updating its guidance on support for students with profound and complex needs. That has led to the creation of a network of specialist regional advisers who are helping colleges to plan provision for that group. That is the reality of what is taking place.
Will the cabinet secretary outline what considerations will be made for students with learning disabilities as part of the outcome agreements?
For the year 2012-13, colleges have been asked to ensure that access to entry-level courses—courses that are of primary importance to that student group—is set as widely as possible. From 2013-14, the number of students with additional support needs enrolled on accredited learning will be measured as part of next year’s college outcome agreements. The Scottish funding council will negotiate with colleges to ensure that they are responding appropriately to regional need.
Draft Budget 2013-14 (Science)
The outcomes to which the member refers are those that are set out in our well-established national performance framework and, in particular, those relating to science learning, skills, employment and economic potential—all key components of sustainable economic growth.
It does, indeed, refer to the budget for the office of the chief scientific adviser, which was £6 million in 2012-13 but will be slashed to £3.4 million in the next financial year. How will that help the Government’s outcomes?
The member will be aware that several functions of the chief scientific adviser are now being carried out by the funding council, which accounts for some of the changes. For example, the overall downturn in the budget for the science centres is considerably less than advised because of that factor. In 2012-13, £2.5 million has been allocated for science centres alone, aside from other aspects of outreach.
Students from Most Deprived Backgrounds (Support)
From the academic year 2013-14 onwards, students in higher education with a family income of less than £17,000 will have access to an annual income of £7,250 through a combination of bursaries and loans. That minimum annual income is part of a package of changes to student support that, together with our commitment to free tuition fees, will provide the best overall package of support in these islands.
As I understand it, the Scottish Government’s intention is to increase the overall budget for the Student Awards Agency for Scotland over the whole of the spending review period. Can the cabinet secretary outline why there has been a change in policy focus from bursaries to the loans system and why, in the next year, we will have a 9.5 per cent real-terms cut in student support and tuition fee payments?
I think that it is quite obvious why we would change the basis of it: so that we can get, if I may be frank, more bangs for our buck. We are getting that with the co-operation and, indeed, the help and support of the National Union of Students, which believes that the progress that we are making is the right progress for students in Scotland. I was pleased that Robin Parker of the NUS took part with me in the media event at the University of Glasgow to launch these changes.
Can the cabinet secretary confirm the view of the Scottish Government that a loan is now regarded as part of income?
What I can confirm is that this change is warmly welcomed by the vast majority of students and the NUS—[Interruption.]
Order.
It has been designed with their support in mind. We are endeavouring to ensure that, in times of difficulty, we can support our students and our further and higher education systems. If members in the chamber have other prescriptions that they would like to bring into place, they should bring them to debate and to a policy discussion, and we will discuss them.
Can the cabinet secretary tell me how many students who are studying in further education colleges in Scotland would have to pay fees if they were on similar courses in England, under the coalition Government and under the fee regime that is now favoured by Labour’s cuts commission? [Laughter.]
Can we have order, please?
It is interesting that Labour members laugh at the idea of tuition fees. If Labour members wish to bring forward a policy that supports tuition fees, they are quite entitled to do so, but they should do so openly and honestly.
Youth Education and Training (West of Scotland)
Opportunities for all is an explicit commitment by this Government to an offer of a place in learning or training to every 16 to 19-year-old in Scotland who is not engaged in employment, education or training. It is being delivered across Scotland by local authorities and their partners, including Skills Development Scotland, colleges, third sector providers and Jobcentre Plus.
What assurances can the cabinet secretary provide to the college sector that the opportunities for all policy will be maintained during college reorganisation and that reorganisation provides an opportunity for the sector to consider running courses that have been scrapped or which have the potential to generate longer-term and stable employment?
I am sorry to croak, Presiding Officer, but my voice is slowly giving way. [Interruption.]
Please continue, cabinet secretary.
Under opportunities for all, all 16 to 19-year-olds are guaranteed an offer of a place in learning or training if they are not already in education or a job. Achieving the policy’s aims will involve a contribution from all parts of the post-16 system; as colleges will be an important part of that, we have prioritised places for 16 to 19-year-olds. The regionalisation of our colleges will encourage a far closer alignment with economic need and the delivery of skills that will indeed lead to longer-term and stable employment. I also note that the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill, which takes us a step closer to that ambition, has been published today.
I congratulate the Government on its vision, but what methods are used to ensure equity of standard with regard to places on college courses that do not offer either apprenticeships or full training but which are part-training in nature? Who controls the standard in that respect?
That is a very good question. A variety of people are involved in verifying and ensuring a constant standard for college courses. However, certain college courses spread among a number of different colleges are of a different grade and standard. This morning, I had a very interesting discussion with the chairs of the Lanarkshire colleges, and one of the issues that they are looking at in their federation proposal is a means of ensuring a common standard across the colleges in precisely the sort of course that the member has highlighted. Indeed, another benefit of the regionalisation proposal is that it provides a way of driving up standards.
College Funding (2013-14 and 2014-15)
As the member will be aware, the funding allocated for colleges for 2013-14 and for 2014-15 is set out in the relevant Scottish Government spending review and budget documents.
I am sure that we are all looking forward to scrutinising the figures for the following year.
Drew Smith makes a very good point. Indeed, I draw attention to the additional resource that has been provided in West Lothian, for example, where the Vion closure has created conditions in which further investment in the college sector is required to meet immediate need. In those circumstances, one immediate need was English for those for whom it is not a first language. When such events occur, we need to respond well and promptly through the partnership action for continuing employment initiative and other activities. I know that the member has been very active on the issue and assure him that the Scottish Government, too, will be active on it.
In committee, the cabinet secretary has acknowledged the difference between the amount allocated for the delivery of higher education in colleges and the amount allocated to universities. Given his argument last week that he will endeavour where possible to secure additional funding for the college sector, does he see an opportunity to redress the difference in the amount that colleges and universities receive for delivering higher education courses?
The member is right to say that the issue has been raised; indeed, the National Union of Students Scotland has done so. I have made it clear that there are differences in the way in which courses are delivered and in the cost bases that apply to them. In particular, the cost base of a four-year university course is often much higher. I have argued sometimes that there may be an opportunity for the higher cost base to be reduced rather than the other way round, but I understand the issue and the point that Liam McArthur makes. It is not easy to see how we could balance those differences out, but the matter needs continued debate and I am happy to continue to discuss it.
Will the cabinet secretary outline how the draft budget will invest in the college estate in 2013-14?
The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council will allocate funding in support of new and continuing estate development projects in colleges and higher education institutions. For example, projects at Glasgow School of Art and Coatbridge College are on-going, as well as preparatory work on the three non-profit-distributing projects in Glasgow, Kilmarnock and Inverness, each of which includes elements that are part funded via capital. The funding council will also provide capital maintenance of around £22 million to the college sector.
School Pupils (Access to College Courses)
Colleges are required to balance a range of priorities in the difficult financial climate, not least of which is the need to offer economically relevant courses to young people who are at risk of unemployment. Nevertheless, many colleges continue to provide significant opportunities for school pupils through skills for work courses and in other ways.
The cabinet secretary mentioned skills for work courses. Other such excellent arrangements are in place. Given the view of the curriculum for excellence management board that the senior phase of the curriculum for excellence can be successful only if local authorities, schools, colleges and their partners work together on planning and delivery, what guarantee can he offer that all those senior school pupils for whom a college experience would be the most appropriate will be able to access college courses in the future? Given the budgetary pressures to which he referred, will he provide colleges with the necessary resources, provide education authorities with the relevant resources or support both to increase such access in future?
I am keen that as many young people as possible benefit from the interaction between the school stage and the college stage. Indeed, there are good examples of that all over the country. The number of school students aged 15 to 18 getting college experience in 2010-11—the latest figures—was broadly the same as in 2007-08.
College Places (Waiting Lists)
As I have said in the chamber several times, the extent to which waiting lists are an accurate measure of demand is a matter that we are investigating with colleges. That said, we are funding colleges to deliver the same volume of learning as in 2010-11, and our opportunities for all programme means that every 16 to 19-year-old who is not in education or employment will get an appropriate offer of learning.
Previously, the cabinet secretary told the chamber that the concept of waiting lists was “utterly false”. Does he now accept that waiting lists exist?
I have made it clear that not every entry on what are called waiting lists equates to a learner who has been—in a phrase that some members have used—“turned away”. Some people apply for more than one course. That is not a way to measure demand. So-called waiting lists were never intended to do that.
Universities (International Co-operation)
The Scottish Government has invested record levels of funding in our universities to ensure that the sector remains internationally competitive and a highly attractive destination for students and researchers. In addition, specific support for research pooling and the development of innovation centres builds on the willingness of Scottish researchers to collaborate within Scotland and with leading researchers wherever they may be located.
I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. Following the announcement that the University of Aberdeen is to be involved in two pioneering research partnerships—with the private sector and with universities in Brazil and the rest of the United Kingdom, as part of the science without borders initiative—can I be assured that the cabinet secretary will continue to ensure that those projects are backed so that we give students the opportunities that are currently available?
In the interests of brevity, I say “yes”.
If Scotland leaves the UK, as is the Scottish National Party’s policy, can the cabinet secretary guarantee that there will be no reduction in research council funding for Scottish universities?
Given that funding for research depends primarily—and, indeed, overwhelmingly—on the quality of the research, I can see no reason why the quality of our research should diminish. Therefore, I am sure that Mr Bibby would not want to be a scaremonger. If he thinks his way clearly and laser-like through the issue, he will realise that research funding will follow research excellence, and the excellence of Scottish research is absolutely guaranteed. I hope that that leaves the member in no doubt at all.
College Staff
On the basis of data from the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, the number of college staff, expressed as full-time equivalent, fell by 396 from 12,687 in 2009-10 to 12,291 in 2010-11, which is the latest year for which published figures are available. That represents a reduction of 3 per cent.
I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. Can he reiterate his commitment to no compulsory redundancies in the current merger process?
Yes. That has been my position and remains my position. I cannot enforce it because of the previous Labour Administration’s decision to remove that power, but I am happy to say—indeed, I have said so on another platform where Jenny Marra raised the question—that the answer is, again, yes.
Schools (Safe Transport Routes)
Safe transport routes to school are a matter for individual local authorities. The Scottish Government provides funding to Sustrans to work with schools and local authorities to encourage schools to develop travel plans for their pupils and teachers and to identify safe routes in their areas. In addition, in 2010 Transport Scotland funded the Transport Research Laboratory to produce a guide to improving school travel safety. The TRL is currently undertaking a review of the use of the school travel guide and will report its findings in early 2013.
I thank the minister for that answer. As the minister may be aware, North Lanarkshire Council plans to close Abronhill high school and to transfer its pupils to Cumbernauld high school, which would involve pupils from Abronhill walking to school along some routes that are considered to be very unsafe—they are very remote, go through wooded areas and are very poor underfoot. Many parents and pupils are concerned about the proposal. Does the minister agree that it is important that North Lanarkshire Council take those concerns very seriously indeed, before it comes to any decision on the future of the schools?
Yes—indeed I do. Although any change in the route that is taken to the school is obviously a matter for the local authority to consider, I hope that North Lanarkshire Council will consider very seriously indeed any representations and concerns that are put to it by parents. It is obviously important for pupils and their parents that they are able to get to and from schools safely. I am aware that North Lanarkshire Council’s consultation on the proposal to close Abronhill high school has recently ended, and my understanding is that the council plans to take a final decision in the new year.
School Examinations (Aberdeenshire Council)
The Scottish Government, Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority continue to work closely together to monitor the preparedness of secondary schools for the new national qualifications and to support the implementation and understanding of curriculum for excellence. As part of that process, Scottish Government and Education Scotland officials are in contact with Aberdeenshire Council and have offered support to the council and its schools.
I have received a great deal of correspondence from parents of children at a number of schools in Aberdeenshire who are concerned that decisions that the council or individual schools are making will result in their children being limited to a maximum of six exam courses in secondary 4. What can parents do if they have such a concern, and what can the minister do with Aberdeenshire Council to encourage it to reconsider its position?
The obvious answer, as Alex Johnstone will be aware, is that the parents will have to make representations directly to the local authority. However, I hope that I can reassure him by pointing out that although the Government has never attempted to direct schools and local authorities on a default number of subjects to be studied, we have always made it clear that the purpose of the new curriculum is flexibility, and that the number of subjects should be tailored not only to the needs of individual schools and communities, but to the needs of individual young people. We would always expect schools and local authorities to tailor the options that are available to young people to their needs as individuals.
Given that, in practice, many councils are making the judgment to offer the same number of courses to pupils in a year group—specifically, we are talking about S4—will the Government consider issuing guidance to employers, colleges and universities to ensure that the judgments that local education authorities make do not disadvantage young people when they seek employment or post-school education?
The Government engages constantly with employers and with colleges and universities to talk about the structure and meaning of the new qualifications. I can only repeat what I have just said, which is that the Government does not direct local authorities on the number of subjects that are to be studied to examination level, although we expect local authorities to provide a structure that is sufficiently flexible to allow discretion to be shown for individual pupils.
Students (Foreign Language Qualifications)
The acquisition of language skills starts long before our young people reach university, and we are taking steps to radically improve the learning of languages in schools by creating conditions that will allow children to learn two languages. In higher education, student demand is a key driver in the decisions that universities make on the courses that they offer. The demand for languages remains strong and, on the whole, Scotland is well supplied with modern language provision at degree level.
The developments in the European labour market, the current mobility programmes and increasing internationalism strongly underline the need for university graduates of all disciplines to acquire practical and useful language competencies. Does the cabinet secretary agree that offering such abilities, as is done through the University of Edinburgh’s languages for all scheme, is a major factor in providing future access to job markets and business success?
Yes. The languages for all programme at the University of Edinburgh is a superb opportunity to add to the learning experience and to improve language skills for the market and for wider reasons. More than 2,000 students have already taken part in the programme, and I know that student interest in it continues. Many of our excellent universities are improving their language provision. Some already offer language study as a credit-bearing part of their degree programmes. For example, the modular first-year course at the University of Aberdeen has had a big increase in language study. I am pleased that that is taking place. The outcome agreements that have been negotiated between the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council and the universities highlight the broad language opportunities that exist.
Tuition Fees (Non-European Union Students)
We have no plans to amend the current legal position that allows universities to set their own tuition fee levels for non-EU international students. However, we recognise the importance of certainty around costs in difficult financial times, and we therefore support the move by the University of Edinburgh in particular to fixed or pre-announced stepped fees for international students.
Earlier this month I hosted an event at which non-EU students from across Scotland objected to the unexpected increases in annual fees, and called for the introduction of fixed fees as the cabinet secretary has just described. Will he encourage other institutions to follow the very welcome example of the University of Edinburgh, either through dialogue, a code of practice or perhaps through the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council outcome agreements, so that that transparency is universal?
Marco Biagi is right: in the case of non-EU international students, there is merit in making the costs of study for the whole of the degree programme open and transparent at the time that the student applies. That would certainly be a great help to international students in managing their finances.
At the end of August I met a group of international students at what was then called Edinburgh’s Telford College, who, among their other concerns, were stunned to find that their fees had more or less doubled this year compared with last year. The fees have subsequently been reduced, but is it right that further education colleges should be able to charge whatever fees they like to non-EU international students?
It is right that colleges can make their own decisions about that, and not have them imposed. However, charging whatever fees they like would not be precisely what they would want because there is, to be blunt, competition between colleges, and anybody who was completely out of line would not get students to attend.
Universities (Applications)
Based on the previous significant figures received from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service on applications to higher education courses in academic year 2012-13, the number of applicants to higher education institutions in Scotland increased by 0.1 per cent. The number of applicants to higher education institutions in England decreased by 8.6 per cent, compared with a 9.9 per cent decrease for institutions in Wales, and a 0.3 per cent increase for institutions in Northern Ireland.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that higher education should be based on the ability to learn, and not on the ability to pay?
My good friend and Argyll neighbour Mike MacKenzie will not be surprised to hear that I agree whole-heartedly with him. He is absolutely right on that issue. Scotland is one of the few countries in Europe that is investing more in higher education. That is the foundation of our long-standing success, and it is one of the reasons for the world-class quality of what we deliver. Education should be available to people based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. By so doing, we are investing in the future of our entire society.
Schools (S4 Subjects)
Schools and education authorities across Scotland are working with their learners, parents and wider partners, with support from Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, to develop and finalise their curriculum models for the senior phase, including the number of subjects. They are making use of the flexibility that curriculum for excellence provides to develop models that best suit their circumstances and needs and, as I indicated earlier, the needs of individual learners.
I listened carefully to the minister’s answers to Lewis Macdonald and Alex Johnstone, but does he accept that there are concerns about a potential narrowing of the curriculum? Notwithstanding what he says about leaving discretion to local authorities, which is a fair point, those concerns exist, and it may be worth engaging directly with local authorities to ensure that any narrowing of the curriculum does not happen in a haphazard fashion.
The Government and Education Scotland are more than happy to engage with local authorities and schools about those issues, and indeed on any cases that the member wants to bring to the Government’s attention.
I note what the minister said about the responsibility of local authorities and his expectation that curriculum for excellence should not narrow opportunities. Will he issue guidelines to local authorities so that they are clear about what they are doing and so that there is a degree of consistency throughout Scotland?
Alasdair Allan.
Alistair Darling?
Did you say Alistair Darling? I think that the cabinet secretary has a cold. We will blame it on his ears.
I hope that the Official Report reflects that I did in fact say Alasdair Allan.
Colleges (Female Students) (West of Scotland)
Michael Russell this time.
Assuming that the member means the west college region, which includes those communities that are currently covered by Reid Kerr College in Paisley, Clydebank College and the Inverclyde campus of James Watt College, the number of female students expressed as a full-time equivalent has declined by 0.2 per cent between 2006-07 and 2010-11, the latest year for which published figures are available. That represents a reduction of 16, again expressed as a full-time equivalent.
Given that women are often responsible for childcare, does the minister agree that the reduction in part-time college places will have more of a detrimental impact on women?
I have just given the member the figure of 0.2 per cent between 2006-07 and 2010-11—a reduction of 16. I agreed with the good point that was made by Alison Johnstone last week that we need to be eternally vigilant on this matter and do everything that we can to ensure that women continue to be—and they are—a majority of college students. Those are the facts, but we will always work hard to continue to ensure the best opportunities for everybody, particularly for women who may be disadvantaged.
If you are quick—Clare Adamson.
Can the cabinet secretary give a breakdown of the numbers by gender of those taking part in the modern apprenticeship scheme?
Order. There is too much chatting.
There has been a considerable improvement in that matter over recent years and I hope that there will continue to be so. Skills Development Scotland publishes management information on the modern apprenticeship programme on its website, broken down by framework, age of apprentice and gender. In 2011-12, I am pleased to say that 43 per cent of modern apprentices supported by the Scottish Government through SDS were female.
Curriculum for Excellence
Alasdair Allan.
I stand corrected. I think that my colleague may in fact have misheard you. I apologise.
Gordon MacDonald—as briefly as possible, please.
YouthLink Scotland recently held a conference in Edinburgh to celebrate youth work week. What role can youth work and the community learning and development sector play in implementing the curriculum for excellence?
Youth work and the CLD sector have a significant role to play in the implementation of CFE. They are important delivery partners that offer young people valuable opportunities and the Government is more than happy to work with them.
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