MINISTERS have done a U-turn over plans to axe funding for a flagship scheme to get more Scottish pupils from poorer backgrounds to university.
Earlier this month it emerged the scheme to attract 1,000 extra students from disadvantaged backgrounds was to be cut by £10 million in 2016/17.
The move was seen as damaging to Scotland's ambitions to get more poorer students to university because the first three years scheme resulted in the only significant progress made on access to date with more than 5,000 extra students from poorer backgrounds.
In addition, because competition for places is so tough and universities are expected to continue to widen access the move will mean qualified students from more middle class backgrounds could miss out.
However, Education Secretary Angela Constance said the recent report of the Scottish Government's Commission on Widening Access had made it clear that action to widen access should be given priority as a core function for Scotland’s universities.
She added: “This is a view shared by the Scottish Government and we want to see no let-up in efforts to widen access.
"The commission has highlighted the value of articulation in supporting fair access and we have accepted immediately and wholeheartedly its ambitious targets for equal access for students from deprived areas.
“As such, we believe it would be appropriate for Scottish Funding Council to support the fourth and final tranche of the additional places scheme for access and articulation."
So far the four year scheme has seen universities given £30m resulting in more than 5,000 extra widening access places.
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