THE Scottish Government's radical reforms of the college sector will create inequalities between poor and middle-class areas, two senior sector figures have warned.
Former Glasgow college principals Ian Graham and Graeme Hyslop made the attack in an open letter to Michael Russell, the Education Secretary.
Mr Graham, OBE, who was head of John Wheatley College, and Mr Hyslop, OBE, who led Langside, said new Government legislation would channel money away from deprived areas, including Glasgow.
They said that in some areas – such as Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow – there would soon be more universities than colleges.
"The reforms will, in our view, cause a radical shift in resourcing post-school education in Scotland from very poor areas to relatively much better-off communities," the letter states.
The attack comes a few months after Mr Russell published his draft Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill. It contains new powers underpinning significant reform of the college sector, which is undertaking a wave of mergers.
These include powers for ministers to hire and fire new chairmen of regional boards, who will oversee the changes.
Announcing the Bill, Mr Russell said college regionalisation would deliver efficiencies of £50 million annually, improve governance and ensure courses were better aligned to the needs of employers.
However, the open letter lists a raft of concerns, including that local provision will be "significantly diminished" as a direct consequence of the merger process and the closure of community campuses.
"This will discourage the most excluded, least confident learners from participating in post-school education," the letter states.
Liz Smith, education spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives, echoed the concerns. "This is proof, if any were needed, that the Scottish Government's further education policies are in trouble," she said.
The SNP administration used its majority at Holyrood to back the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Bill at its first stage this week. Political opponents called for it to be withdrawn.
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