Scottish universities ‘could lose charitable status’

Universities fear new higher education bill will force reclassification

八月 25, 2015
The University of St Andrews

Scottish universities fear that they could lose their status as charities and become part of the public sector if the Edinburgh government pushes ahead with a new higher education governance bill.

The controversial bill, published in June, would shake up the composition of Scottish university governing bodies, and would require them to include at least two members directly elected by staff, and another two by trade unions, students’ unions and alumni associations.

It also raises the possibility of elected governing body chairs, although exactly how they are chosen would be decided by ministers at a later date.

Because ministers would gain these powers, Universities Scotland has warned that this could prompt the Office for National Statistics to reclassify universities as part of central government.

This change would restrict university borrowing, stop them from reinvesting surpluses, and imperil income from donations, the body said in a submission to the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee.

“Without the financial tools and the autonomy to invest strategically in this way, universities would inevitably have to reduce their levels of activity and investment, with significant implications for their ability to deliver on Scottish Government priorities, such as skills provision, innovation, and social mobility,” the submission said.

A loss of charitable status would “severely prejudice institutions’ capacity to access philanthropic funding, currently worth around £53 million a year. Donors are highly unlikely to wish to support institutions who are no longer charities.”

Angela Constance, the Scottish education secretary, has argued that the bill would create more accountability for universities and give a stronger voice to students and staff. 

david.matthews@tesglobal.com

请先注册再继续

为何要注册?

  • 注册是免费的,而且十分便捷
  • 注册成功后,您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
  • 订阅我们的邮件
注册
Please 登录 or 注册 to read this article.

Reader's comments (1)

This really is poor from the Scottish Universities, and has the sound of the bottom of barrels being scraped. It's essentially scaremongering which has little relation to the reality of a bit more democracy being brought into Scottish university governance. The people of Scotland, and the staff and students at Scottish universities deserve better, much better, than this from university management. Dr Douglas Chalmers President UCU Scotland