It is hard not to conclude that there must be something fundamentally wrong with colleges in Scotland.

In the last few weeks there has been news of the suspension of one college principal, the dismissal of another and now a senior officer of the Scottish Funding Council being parachuted in to sort out what appears to be a failing Regional Board in Glasgow ("City college board under fire", The Herald, March 13).

It is also hard not to conclude that much of this can be attributed to the Scottish Government's recent "reforms" which were, with great haste, driven through the Scottish Parliament by Mike Russell, the former Education Secretary.

Mr Russell was advised, at the time, that one legislates in haste only to regret it at leisure.

The tragedy of the colleges is that they are the only part of the education system which ministers can use to 2make their mark". No one dares take on higher education and to tackle schools means a major tussle with local authorities, so colleges are always in the line of fire.

It must now be almost inevitable that further legislation will be required in the near future to sort out the present mess.

I was, for 20 years, principal of Glasgow's John Wheatley College. In all that time not one member of the board ever claimed expenses for the role they played in its governance.

Now shortly after Mr Russell's "reforms" the whole issue of expenses for board members is back centre stage and at a time when colleges continue to suffer savage budget cuts.

Oh brave new world with such people in it ...

Ian Graham OBE,

6 Lachlan Crescent,

Erskine.