Through the looking glass
From primary to higher education 鈥 and the heart-warming sight of Sir Muir Russell returning to his old St Andrews House stomping ground, mortar board in hand.
Sir Muir was formerly Scotland鈥檚 mandarin par excellence, the very epitome of intellectual, subtle, droll, civil service.
Today the erstwhile Permanent Secretary was back in the seat of government, this time on behalf of Scotland鈥檚 universities.
Now principal of his old alma mater, Glasgow, he also convenes Universities Scotland.
Who better to penetrate the complexities of governmental finance than one who previously helped construct the labyrinth? Like Ariadne, he knows where they keep the string.
After talks with the Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Sir Muir pronounced himself marginally more content.
She had offered, it would appear, to place universities close to the head of the queue if further resources become available (presumably from underspending, Barnett consequentials or 鈥渆vents鈥.)
Further, she agreed with Sir Muir that there would be a joint task force to scrutinise the higher education settlement, particularly regarding the exceptionally tight first year of the new spending round.
Not, notice, the full-scale external review urged by Andrew Cubie (and the Tories.) But a study driven jointly by government and the universities. Concordat, anyone?
One hesitates to disturb the spirit of harmony 鈥 but here鈥檚 a tiny snag. How does today鈥檚 offer to the universities re extra cash square with last night鈥檚 vote in the Holyrood chamber?
Avid readers will recall that the SNP voted with the Tories on the proposition that 鈥渋f additional resources become available鈥, priority will be given to accelerating a cut in small business rates. This was duly carried.
Everybody has won and all must have prizes, it would seem.
Gazing through the other end of the looking glass, however, it would appear that there may well be tough choices ahead. Sir Muir 鈥 and Ministers 鈥 may require to resort to subtlety once more.
I'm 
Comments
It is surprising that someone like Sir Muir Russell is ignorant of the consequences of devolution. UK governments determine the size of the Scottish budget. Scottish governments determine how it is spent.
Then again it was on Sir Muir Russell's watch that costs surrounding the Holyrood building spiralled out of control.
Perhaps making Sir Muir Russell the convener of Universities Scotland wasn't the brightest decision by academics.
It's all academic of course based on if's and but's...if there is an underspend, if there is an event that releases more money, if more money comes available through the formula. I would assume, based on last nights vote, that the first release of extra money would go to reducing business rates and the second release going to universities. Might I suggestion (tongue in cheek), that a third release goes to abolishing student debt? All academic of course as I wonder about the likelihood of finding any new monies anyway, unless of course Scotland mimics the 拢1,5billion underspend in healthcare spending this year in England!
Good piece Brian
But have you looked at the housing budget? The housing settlement was even worse than that for universities, yet it has been hardly mentioned. It surely isn't the case that university-educated media types have been sucked in by the suave charms of Sir Muir Russell to the detriment of the pressing needs of those who need social housing? Not in modern, egalitarian Scotland?
Don't you just buy a degree now and spread the payments? Take a payment holiday occasionally for that weekend in Kinghorn.
As a passed student at a scottish university it was somewhat disappointing.The funding of universities can be in a very significant way be through the amount of fees international students pay. It is interesting to see how some universities offer exemption of 拢1000 or so from fees,depending on which intrnational country the student may be from. Also grants are also available for some students as well but this is not highly advertised. Coincidently enough. I wonder if the fees that international students pay does actually get implemented for university resources.Is there any monitoring board that can even account for what happens to university funds.
That would be the same Muir Russell who was set on closing down Chriton Campus due to budget constraints? Indeed, I seem to remember him making a public speech in Dumfries: "We are not just running away from the people of Dumfries", BEFORE PROMPTLY RUNNING AWAY and getting a junior member of staff to confirm the Campus was indeed closing. He was then very publicly ungrateful when the new (SNP) administration provided funds to save the Dumfries campus. I dont remember him being anything like as vocal when his pal Jack was in power!
post 5 I'm a "passed" student too 2.1
Higher education settlements need to take account of how some of these institutions recruit some students merely as funding fodder; to gain funds for the institution with little or no regard to what they offer the less talented students.
I know this post will not please everyone especially those who operate the cash collections that are our colleges and universities, however it must be said that quality is being sacrificed at the altar of quantity; bums on seats being the operating criteria for many if not all of these institutions.
Now I know we could all complain about the easy targets of qualifications in flower arranging and golf course management; however initially I am not so greatly concerned with such individual courses what does concerns me greatly are the amount of students who clearly do not display a track record which provide clear indicators of these student鈥檚 capabilities to complete the courses they are signed up for as acceptable potential students.
I believe the current system of payments is based on attendance and assessments and that payments are made at the commencement of each term and that once the final payment is made there is no claw back possible of fees should students decide only to meet their personal funding requirements.
鈥榃e鈥 seem to be only too willing to fund almost every individual irrespective of their ability or commitment to completing their course; many students view such courses as methods of avoiding employment services and their own families, many institutions view these funds for courses which will never be completed as an acceptable operating protocol.
It is time that government, colleges, universities and students prove their commitment to completing these courses or we should further consider who we fund and by how much; we should not be funding students to hide from official statistics, Government departments or their families, equally we should not be funding institutions who accept that funded failure of too many students is an acceptable practice.
Brian you sat at the Fraser Enquiry long enough to see Muir Russell for what he is. How can Muir Russell have any credibility in asking for taxpayers money when we already know how much he has already wasted?
The idea that Scottish universities are somehow 鈥渃ash-starved鈥 is laughable. The University sector is the most badly managed ineffective wasteful part of the whole economy. There is massive over-staffing at almost every level and the amount of money that is wasted on things that are not necessary (for example overseas travel, business class flights) is truly shameful. You could lose about a third of the people who work in the university sector and not notice the difference. There are some superb people also but the overall management of the sector is not very good.
Part of the problem is the fact that the entire sector is a governance-free zone. For historical reasons Audit Scotland do not have access to higher education and this leaves Universities free to appoint their own auditors. Theoretically there ought to be a lay majority on University boards but in many cases this simply does not happen because of vacancies and various board members having better things to do with themselves than turn up at meetings. The result is a group of people who can do pretty much what they like while being under-written by the taxpayer. University boards are autonomous organisations who appoint their own members. This means that in many cases they are little more than fan clubs for the vice chancellor. Pay increases for Scottish vice chancellors are running at roughly five times the rate of inflation due to this lack of oversight. Theoretically universities are governed by SFC but this is a toothless quango which is so close to the sector that it is completely incapable of any meaningful regulatory function. (SFC should be an early candidate for the new government鈥檚 bonfire of the quangos.)
A friend of mine told me recently that the vice chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University (the old Glasgow College of Technology) earns more money than the head of the University of Cambridge. I thought she was talking rubbish but it turned out to be true, it鈥檚 been published in the Times Higher Education Supplement. It鈥檚 very difficult to take tales of imminent penury seriously when the leaders of the sector are living the high life at our expense.
Well well well.
Thanks to the Herald we now know why Sir Muir is so keen to get his hands on our money. He has just had a second successive inflation-bursting salary increase and he must be worried that the yoony might not be able to finance next year's whopping great pay rise.
See