First Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of ”living in a parallel universe” over proposed cuts to Angus College.
Labour leader Iain Gray took the SNP leader to task over claims the Arbroath institution will have to shed 2,000 student places due to a slashed budget.
The row was provoked by a letter written by the college’s principal, John Burt, predicting 400 full-time places and 1,600 part-time places at the college would go.
The comment caused particular controversy as the SNP had vowed to protect college places prior to the Holyrood election in May.
Challenging Mr Salmond on the issue at First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, Mr Gray, said: ”That’s one college alone. Will he just be honest college places are going to be cut, aren’t they?”
But Mr Salmond told him the body which funds colleges, the Scottish Funding Council, has not yet issued plans for each college. ”So, Iain Gray’s suggestions on that are absolutely threadbare,” he added.
The first minister added that in these ”extraordinarily difficult” financial times the SNP administration was investing £5.95 billion in post-16 education in the next three years.
He said: ”That’s rising from £1.92 billion in 2011-12 to £1.99 billion in 2014-15 an increase of 3.2%. I think that is a remarkable investment in the future of universities, colleges and young people in Scotland.”
But Mr Gray said Angus College management would ”feel that the first minister is living in a parallel universe.”
He added: ”When is (Mr Salmond) going to stop banging on about a mythical independence generation and start doing something for Scotland’s lost generation?”
However, Mr Salmond insisted the SNP administration had made a ”number of strong commitments” to help young people.
While conceding youth unemployment was ”far too high” and a ”serious issue”, he pointed out the proportion of young people in work was higher in Scotland than across the UK. He also said the Scottish Government’s commitment to the post-16 education sector was ”extraordinary” in the wake of ”remarkable cuts” to the Scottish budget.
But returning to the election pledge on college places, Mr Gray said: ”Will he keep that promise?”
Mr Salmond told him: ”The Scottish Government intends to keep all its promises in its manifesto. The manifesto says we have reached agreement with the universities and colleges to maintain student numbers in the year ahead and will maintain this throughout the next parliament.
”That’s what our manifesto states and that’s what we will be going forward with.”
But Mr Gray insisted there were ”real cuts in college places already”, adding that ”almost 1,000 college places for disabled learners have already gone.”
He demanded: ”Do these Scots have no place in Alex Salmond’s brave new world? Why is he not protecting their college places and why is he not protecting their future?”
The first minister, however, said the manifesto commitment to maintain student numbers was ”exactly what we will do.”
He added: ”That phrase that we’re using opportunities for all that’s exactly what it means.
”Every single 16 to 19-year-old in Scotland who is not in a job, an apprenticeship or full-time education will be offered an educational or training opportunity.”