THE number of Scottish colleges could be slashed by more than one-third under radical Government restructuring proposals.
Five groups of colleges have either already submitted plans for mergers, or are discussing the possibility, amid accusations it is part of a cost-saving exercise that will result in staff being made redundant and courses closed.
Unions claim the moves have led to widespread concerns among staff, with "negotiations and horse-trading" over the proposed mergers being carried out in secret without any co-ordinated strategy or wider discussions.
Two further regional clusters of colleges are considering a looser federation arrangement that would result in their identities being preserved but much closer collaboration.
If all the mergers proceed as planned, it would leave Scotland with 28 colleges compared with 41 currently operating.
However, that number could drop further depending on discussions in the Highland region, where there are 10 colleges.
The proposals would result in seven Glasgow colleges being cut to three, with mergers involving Langside, Cardonald and Anniesland and North Glasgow, John Wheatley and Stow.
The City of Glasgow College has already been formed as a result of a merger of Central College, Metropolitan College and Glasgow College of Nautical Studies.
The move, approved by the Scottish Government in 2010, created the country's largest single college with 40,000 students now enrolled.
In Edinburgh, a new "super college" could open its doors in October with a proposed merger between Stevenson, Jewel and Esk and Telford colleges.
David Belsey, the Educational Institute of Scotland's national officer for further education, said: "We are greatly concerned the mergers in the college sector do not seem to be part of any co-ordinated strategy.
"The negotiations and horse-trading to form these proposed merged colleges have been carried out in secret, excluding staff unions and any wider discussion.
"In recent months, whispers and rumours are the ways in which college staff hear if their own college is in or out of a proposed merger.
"Money is now available to fund staff redundancies and voluntary severance packages, as colleges merge due to Government funding cuts. When lecturers lose their jobs today, college courses are cut tomorrow."
Other potential mergers include those involving Reid Kerr, Clydebank and James Watt colleges in the West and Kilmarnock and Ayr colleges in Ayrshire.
Adam Smith and Carnegie colleges in Fife could also become one.
In September, the Scottish Government announced plans to restructure the country's colleges into 10 regional groupings, including Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Lothians, the Borders, Lanarkshire, Fife and the Highlands and Islands.
A consultation paper by Michael Russell, the Education Secretary, said the move would create opportunities for colleges to work more cost-efficiently and remove "wasteful duplication" during the tough economic climate.
However, there was a backlash with claims mergers were being forced on colleges to save money at a time when funding was being cut by £74 million to £471m by 2014/15.
Unison claimed regionalisation of colleges could exacerbate the impact of funding cuts at a time of increased demands placed on them by Government commitments.
The trade union warned there was little evidence that shared services – which it described as the "default option" for improved public service delivery – actually led to substantial savings, with the model leading to a "period of disruption" with it taking "five years at best" to make a positive impact on finances.
Scotland's Colleges, which represents college principals, also claimed that cuts to further education budgets would undermine the country's attempts to move out of recession due to the increased risk of job cuts and course closures.
Despite the concerns, Mr Russell said the merger discussions were progressing well.
He said: "We are working hard with colleges and their partners to drive forward our plans for a new regional system for colleges. This will ensure a sharper focus on the needs of students, their prospective employers and the local, regional and national economies.
"Colleges themselves recognise the case for regionalisation and discussions in the regions are progressing well with a number of interesting proposals in development, including mergers and federations."
Mr Russell added he expected to see financial savings as mergers progressed.
He said: "The new college regions will be able to deliver savings by combining their efforts and working more flexibly across the area."
Mark Batho, chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said: "We expect to see further mergers and federations by next summer.
"These will provide significant savings, such as those already achieved by the merger to form City of Glasgow College."
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