Government meddling in Scotland’s education system ‘unhealthy’

Documents released under a freedom of information request have shown that Education Secretary Mike Russell received a full brief on the proposed merger between Dundee University and Abertay University before allowing it to go forward.

It rubbishes the SNP's attempts to distance themselves from the proposal which was emphatically rejected by both institutions. Scottish Conservatives questioned Mike Russell at the time about his attempts to force the universities into a 'shotgun wedding'.

Scottish Conservative Education Spokesperson, Liz Smith MSP said:

"In everything he does as Cabinet Secretary for Education, there is an unhealthy degree of ministerial meddling. Whether it's rural school closures, the creation of Education Scotland, college and university governance, Mike Russell's 'reforms' approach is one of creeping centralisation and ignoring all the warnings about the dangers of bigger government.

"The on-going revelations about the botched Abertay/Dundee merger are symptomatic of a Scottish Government which increasingly thinks it knows best. We have known for months that this is the real agenda behind several college reforms and it is also the reason why the colleges are suffering such a damaging cut in their funding. Ironically at the very same time as the Scottish Government is wanting us to believe that 16-19 year old education is the number one priority.

"Mike Russell should come clean and publish all the facts about his discussions with the Scottish Funding Council and the programme for college and university reform."

More information can be found here:

http://scottishpol.blogspot.com/2012/01/university-challenge.html

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