There’s an adage along the lines of “the majority of arguments happen because of communication breakdown”.
It’s usually meant about relationships between partners, but it can also apply to your employer. And to your college.
Following UHI Perth’s plans to close its nursery and axe up to 70 jobs, more details of the cuts were made public last week — and the way the college is acting is abysmal.
First, it promised that the nursery would stay open until at least 2025. But now it could close by the end of next month, leaving parents unable to move as the local authority deadline for applications has already passed.
The college also committed last year that “the Higher Education curriculum delivery will not be impacted” and that all courses, as well schools/college partnership programmes, will be unaffected.
Perth College U-turns on cuts
But it has now made a quiet U-turn.
The latest consultation document, leaked by staff to The Herald and students, reportedly states that several courses will be removed, along with many of its partnership programmes. The college’s library will also be cut.
Staff have been blindsided by these proposals, which one member tells me are “full of holes”.
“None of the proposals speak about innovation or academic ideas for degree restructuring,” they said.
“It is literally just about how much they can cut as quickly as possible.”
Students are also feeling left in the dark.
Politics degree student, Cara Steel, has been organising students to push for change.
Her petition calls for a pause to the ongoing budget consultation and for the principal to resign — it has already garnered hundreds of signatures.
It cannot be understated how important it is for an organisation in financial crisis to prioritise pro-active and transparent communications, especially to those who will be affected.
But it does not appear that the college has any awareness of this, let alone sensitivity.
“Morale is really low” the staff member tells me, “we are feeling scared, in despair, and that our voices are not being listened to.”
Vital resources must be protected
With colleges across Scotland seeing a real term reduction to funding of 8% in 2024/25, the government’s commitments to education and to equality are highly questionable.
And we’re seeing the same short-termism in UHI Perth’s vision.
Removing vital resources to learning makes no business sense. As Cara asks, “Can you have an education establishment without a library? Can you deprive students of books? Can you justify how that will impact students learning?”
Moving resources to predominantly online will not be accessible for all students.
Cara adds: “As a student who is both dyslexic and autistic, I struggle to read large body of text on screen. I live an hour from Perth UHI but I travel there several times a week to work in a quiet library surrounded by books that help me through my degree.”
It is difficult to see the rationale in cutting front-line staff providing crucial services to students. Any restructure should prioritise the effectiveness of management, where greater ‘savings’ can often be made.
Last year, the principal pocketed a pay rise of £8,500 — resulting in a salary over £130,000 — while the rest of the staff have been struggling in a cost of living crisis. This hypocrisy led to trade unions calling for the principal to resign.
Staff are still concerned about leadership. As the staff member tells me, “Radical reform is needed, with institutions once again run by educators who know how to deliver top level education in the best way.”
The Code of Good Higher Education Governance states that colleges “must show leadership and integrity not only in the decisions they make but also in the way they conduct their business” and in particular, in its approach to equality, diversity and inclusion and to social responsibility. I don’t think this benchmark could be further from the reality.
The last year has been a PR nightmare for the college. It is having to do damage control, yet again. The only positive to come out of this is the solidarity between staff and students, who seem united in their loss of trust with management.
With so much uncertainty still looming, management needs to seriously listen to its staff and students, who are bearing the brunt of their chaotic decisions.
Otherwise students are going to drop out and key staff will be forced to leave. But this means a dramatic shift in culture. Will UHI Perth learn, before it’s too late?
Aileen Lees is a writer, community organiser and policy specialist. She spent over 10 years in financial services as an adviser and business consultant. She is writing for The Courier as part of the Pass the Mic media project.
The Courier is a proud partner in the Pass the Mic media project, a platform which aims to raise the profiles of women of colour in Scotland and give a voice to their expertise.
The project was founded in 2019 and works with the women and organisations behind Gender Equal Media Scotland with support from Women 50:50.
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