Margaret Ewing, SNP MSP for Moray, is championing the cause of 17 art students who have been "devastated" to discover they cannot continue their course to degree level at Moray College. They had expected to move from an HND in fine art on to a BA, which the college was developing through the University of the Highlands and Islands project. But the college says that while the degree has won validation by the Open University Validation Services, conditions were set that mean students cannot move this coming year.
The college previously had an agreement with Robert Gordon University, which last year validated a visual arts degree for one year only. The college denies that it misled the students over the prospects for continuation.