THE University of the West of Scotland has been criticised after its principal visited the Seychelles to launch a business course on the sun-kissed island.

Craig Mahoney visited the archipelago as part of a week-long trip that also included Singapore and Malaysia.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie said the University should use technology to “minimise” international flights.

Higher education is enduring squeezed budgets at a time of austerity for public authorities across the UK.

The foreign student market has proved to be a lucrative income source, but some universities have faced questions over their international expansion schemes.

Mahoney, who was appointed UWS principal in 2013, travelled to Seychelles last week with vice-principal Jeanne Keay to unveil a partnership with the local university.

They launched an UWS Master of Business Administration course (MBA) which the Seychelles institution will now offer its students.

Mahoney, who is from Australia, tweeted a picture of the Seychelles sunrise and beach during his two day trip:

 

His itinerary for the winter trip also included a meeting with the British High Commission.

The business trip also saw Mahoney go to Malaysia and Singapore, where he visited six institutions and met representatives of the latter country’s Workforce Development Agency.

A University source explained the Seychelles trip by saying it was part of the UWS “Global Reach Strategy”, which aims to see 3000 students enrolled on the institution’s degrees.

The source added that the partnership is an example of a transnational education (TNE) agreement.

According to the University’s latest financial statement, UWS generated around £20m in 2015 from “tuition fees and education contracts”.

The biggest source of funds, £13.9m, came from full time students in Scotland and the European Union, but only £25,000 came from “transnational education”.

Questions have now been raised about the necessity of the Principal having to attend the Seychelles in person.

Flights from the UK to Seychelles, then to Singapore and back to Scotland, amount to around 16,000 miles.

Patrick Harvie, economy spokesperson and co-convenor of the Scottish Greens, said: "The university should be making use of technology to minimise the need for international flights. Scotland can show leadership with a low carbon business agenda and the sooner UWS realises that the better."

It is not the first time the UWS – which received just over £70m in grants from the taxpayer-backed Funding Council last year - has faced question about its use of resources.

Mahoney’s girlfriend Helena Lim landed a temporary £500-a-day consultancy last year contract with the university.

The principal's remuneration for 2015 was £224,000.

In the same year, the University spent £672,801 on “exceptional restructuring”, which in practice meant voluntary severance and voluntary retirement payments.

A University spokesperson said: “All universities operate in a fiercely competitive global environment and all universities engage in international collaboration. International partnerships are fundamental to higher education and drive valuable contributions to the wider economy.

“Through these partnerships universities open the doors to new international markets. It is entirely appropriate that senior University colleagues engage in important development activity of this kind through a packed itinerary with multiple partner and senior government meetings."