Students at Perth College UHI are preparing for a fight following the announcement that courses are to be scrapped as budget cuts hit hard.
Tough decisions have had to be taken in light of a 10% drop in the grants available to the college, which in February celebrated the award of full university status.
Three further education courses have been dropped and a fourth has been suspended for a year, while four higher education courses have also been cut.
This affects around 150 students 1.5% of the student population and has been met with dismay by many who believed they had been accepted for the 2011-12 academic year.
Also outraged are the presidents of the UHI and Perth College Students’ Associations who described the cuts as “unacceptable” and criticised the treatment of students.
The timing of the announcement was such that some students were informed just days and even hours before sitting some of their most important exams.
Students are now being offered advice and assistance to secure a place on alternative courses or find a place at another local college.
However, The Courier understands college bosses will be inundated with a flurry of letters from disgruntled students seeking a rethink and an urgent meeting with senior staff.
Among them is accountancy student Davina Hanning, who discovered last week that despite success on her HND course she will be unable to take the next step on a finance career at Perth College UHI.
Perth mother of two Davina (38) said her promised place on the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Stage 2/Foundation course no longer existed.
“We’re not putting up with this and we’re going to fight this,” she said. “I’m a mature student and if this doesn’t work out then I don’t get another shot.
“We’ve all put letters together in the hope of making the college think again and we want to speak with senior managers urgently.
“I appreciate that the government cuts are being faced by everyone, but it is still the college that decides which courses are to go. Perth is the last place in Scotland that offers this course full-time.”
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Ms Hanning also questioned the timing of the announcement made to students.
“We were told the day before one of our biggest exams,” she said. “We pulled ourselves together because we wanted to do well, but certainly in those initial moments it was a de-motivating factor.”
Ms Hanning’s views were echoed by students’ association presidents who said students had been let down by the college.
Nathan Shields, president of the UHI Students’ Association, told The Courier, “While I appreciate the position that the university and partner colleges are in, I still think that it is unacceptable to be cutting courses and treating students like they are.
“Cutting courses should only ever be a last resort, but the university and partner colleges seem to be closing courses while continuing to spend money on top-heavy management, bureaucracy and unnecessary waste.
“In some cases students can be taught from another UHI campus but this will not work for the horticulture and the ACCA courses.”
Harry Clapham, president of Perth College Students’ Association, added, “The timing of these course cuts could not be worse for students. Many students are only a matter of days away from their final exams and they now must start to think and rearrange their plans for the future.
“It is a yet another example of poor decision-making from the management. The university and partner colleges should honour their commitment to the students that have, in some cases, been working for up to four years to get onto the courses that they are cutting.”
Universities and colleges across Scotland are attempting to cope with their incomes being slashed by £140m for 2011-12.
Dundee College has already announced course cuts and called for voluntary redundancies as it seeks to deal with a £4m reduction in the grant available. In Perth College UHI’s announcement, director of communication and corporate development Sara Wood said the college had been planning for cuts, in line with all other colleges and universities in Scotland.
“Our purpose is to ensure the future financial sustainability of Perth College UHI and thus our ability to continue to deliver a high quality educational experience for our students,” she said. “After indepth and careful consideration, we are to remove some courses from our portfolio in both higher and further education.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said he was “disappointed” to learn some courses have to be cut, but said the decision was “understandable”.
“Perth College UHI is being up front and honest about the funding gap it has to face,” he said. “It is taking this step to ensure the highest quality education is available to its students.
“The SNP Government must work with Perth College UHI to help the university’s progress through these difficult times.”