HE IS one of Scotland's most respected painters whose work hangs in leading galleries across the country and beyond. But now Alexander – or Sandy – Moffat, who taught painting at Glasgow School of Art to some of the nation's leading artists, has claimed Scottish culture is suffering because indigenous art students are being "sacrificed" in favour of their foreign counterparts who pay up to £9k per year in fees.

Moffat – whose former students include renowned artists Steven Campbell, Alison Watt, Ken Currie, Peter Howson – also raised concerns about the increasing “managerial class” now running art schools across the UK and claimed that standards were slipping with painting taught “very badly”.

Moffat, whose most famous work Poets' Pub features an imagined gathering of Scotland’s greatest 20th century poets grouped around Hugh MacDiarmid, has shown work in numerous galleries including the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Yale Centre of British Art. He is largely credited with leading the resurgence of figurative painting at Glasgow School of Art (GSA) while teaching there from 1979 to 2005, latterly as head of Painting and Printmaking.

In an interview with the Sunday Herald magazine this week he claimed painting across the UK is now taught “very badly” adding: "One of the things that has happened in art schools is that everyone is looking to become a manager with a fancy job title. So instead of having teachers, you have course leaders, deputy course leaders, deans, all sorts of characters that didn’t exist 50 years ago. Art school shouldn’t be a complicated place."

He also complained about the drive to attract wealthy, fee-paying students. "Now, because all these students are paying loads of money, they’re told that once you have a degree, you’re an artist." As a consequence, painting suffers, he claimed. "My worry is what effect it will have on our culture, specifically here in Scotland when we have only a tiny number of Scottish students studying in our art schools. Scottish students have been sacrificed because they don’t pay fees. Anyone who can write the cheque and pay the fee is in.

"When I think of the time I began teaching in Glasgow, 99 per cent of the students were Glaswegian and they produced some incredible geniuses and if you think of when Macintosh was a student, 100 per cent of the students would be Glaswegian and again they produced some wonderful creative people who completely transformed Scottish art and culture. Of course it’s wonderful to have students coming from all over the world, but not to the detriment of educating your own people. There has to be a balance."

In late 2016 students from GSA protested claiming that staff were over-stretched affecting the quality of teaching with reduced contact time. Other complaints including increasing bureaucracy and a lack of adequate studio space.

However Francis McKee, a lecturer at Glasgow School of Art, said it the issue was a more "complicated picture". McKee, who is also the director of Glasgow' Centre of Contemporary Art (CCA) who formerly headed-up Glasgow International (GI) said: "I've been teaching for 22 years and I have to say I'm enjoying it more than ever. I have some amazing students who I am really excited about and proud to know. It's very satisfying and we learn a lot from each other. It’s incredibly unfair to measure the students against past local achievements – it’s also worth considering that their later success is no longer confined to Scotland."

He claimed there was more need to be concerned about "the precarious nature of teaching contracts", adding: "I don't think students are reaching for their cheque books either. They are often having to work several jobs to support themselves." He also raised concerns about the "punitive and potentially racist" immigration policies facing international students.

A spokeswoman for GSA said the art school was one of Scotland’s "most socially diverse higher institutions" and confirmed that all of its staff were also practicing artists. Of the current roll of 2449 students, a total of 1218 funded places, most of them undergraduates, go to Scottish students. The number is set by the Scottish Government. Edinburgh College of Art declined to comment.

A Universities Scotland spokesperson confirmed it wanted more places for Scottish students to be made available through Scottish government grants. "All higher education institutions in Scotland are subject to the capped places system for Scottish and EU students," he added. "With our institutions being of world-leading quality, it is inevitable that there will be pressure on places."

A Scottish Government spokesman said £11 billion had been spent on higher education since 2007. He added: "In 2016-17 over 70 percent of students undertaking an art and design course at our institutions were residents of Scotland. However we recognise that students from outwith Scotland who choose to study here contribute to our vibrant and diverse communities."

SCOTLAND'S LEADING ART SCHOOLS

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design: started life as Dundee Technical College and School of Art in 1911. Alumni include Turner prize nominees Luke Fowler and David Mach and 2010 winner Susan Phillpsz.

Edinburgh College of Art: Founded in 1906 from the former Trustees Academy which dates back to 1760. Famous names who have studied there include painters Anne Redpath, William Gillies, Elizabeth Adder and Alan Davie and promoters Richard Demarco and Jay Joplin.

Glasgow School of Art: founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, its iconic look was the work of the city's own Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It's impressive – and vast – list of successful alumni includes artists such as Martin Boyce, Christine Borland, John Byrne, Steven Campbell, Ken Currie, Jim Lambie, Alexander Stoddart and Alison Watt.

Gray’s School of Art: Founded in Aberdeen in 1885 by local businessman and philanthropist John Gray. Former students include painter Joyce Cairns and sculptor William Lamb.