Academics Huw Morris (former Director of Skills, Higher Education and Lifelong Learning in Welsh Government) and Des McNulty (former Scottish Government minister) argue in a January 2026 Enlighten report that the review’s narrow focus on universities alone “does not provide a forum for the necessary broader public debate about the future of post-school education.”
With 92% of Scotland’s colleges forecast to run deficits in 2025–26, they contend that comprehensive tertiary education reform examining colleges, four-year degree structures, international student levies, and graduate contributions must accompany university funding decisions.