WIREDGOV

Scotland is the only country in the UK to increase funding body grants paid to Higher Education institutions in the last year.

Figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) this month showed that grants to Scottish Higher Education institutions increased by 8.3 per cent from 2011/2012 to 2012/13, whereas funding from other UK countries for their own sectors fell substantially.

Scottish Higher Education institutions received £1,067,354,000 in 2012/13 from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), an increase from £985,146,000, while funding body grants in England fell by 17.7 per cent over the same period.

Minister for Youth Employment Angela Constance said:

“Scotland is seen as a global centre of excellence in Higher Education, with no fewer than five of our universities ranked in the world’s top 200, an incredible feat for a country of our size.

“This achievement would not be possible without the hard work by staff and students. However, Scotland’s reputation is also down in no small part to the Scottish Government’s commitment to excellence in education and the funding invested in the sector on an annual basis.

“Such investment also ensures that the principle of education being based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay, holds firm in this country. This is a principle that would continue in an independent Scotland with fees for eligible Scots-domiciled students continuing to be paid by the Scottish Government.

“With independence we will also continue to provide levels of public investment in universities which enable our institutions to remain internationally competitive and academically prosperous as well as helping our young women and men towards employment.”