Scotland’s colleges responded well to Covid-19, but changes are needed to ensure they are financially sustainable in the long term and more students graduate, says a report from Audit Scotland
Covid-19 funding contributed to a better-than-expected end of year operating position for the sector in 2020-21. However, colleges’ finances are forecast to deteriorate in the future with the uncertainty of prices due to the cost of living crisis.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
For the next academic year, 2022-23 the funding for colleges has fallen from £696 million to £654 million, due to pressure caused by inflation. This will have a knock on effect to the students studying at colleges as up-to-date equipment, staff and upkeep costs will more than likely be reduced.
A recent report has stated that they have been surprised by how well colleges have done during and after the pandemic, however, to ensure that the longevity of colleges are met, long term planning about the finances is needed to allow students to prosper.
Colleges responded well to the shift to online learning during the pandemic, with students and staff all adapting to a new way of learning/teaching. But the proportion of students successfully completing their course has fallen. On average, socially disadvantaged and vulnerable students are less likely to successfully complete their course than their peers.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said:
“The challenging financial situation facing colleges will make it difficult for the sector to balance the delivery of high-quality courses and Scottish Government priorities.
“Changes are needed to ensure the sector is financially sustainable in the long-term and more students successfully complete their courses.”
The portion of students that dropped out of their courses in 2019-20 was roughly around 20 per cent but since the pandemic, this rise in dropouts has risen by seven per cent. Further to this, people who went to college and went onto further education, training or work has dropped from the previous year by just over three percent.
Wide-ranging recommendations to improve the college sector were made by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) in 2021, including multi-year funding assumptions. They were broadly accepted by the Scottish Government, which is due to set out the future role of the college and university sectors in 2023. In the meantime, it is important that the government and the SFC support colleges to plan for change.
Stephan Boyle also spoke about the changes the needed as well as how soon these actions need to be taken:
“Colleges need support to plan for those changes, and the Scottish Government needs to work with the SFC to put its plan into action at the earliest opportunity.”
Download the FREE Renfrewshire Live app now for all the latest news, features and sport in your area.
