THE arch Brexiter Michael Gove once said that people have had enough of experts, but when the experts speak in unison as is the case at today’s summit on the effect that Brexit could have on universities and colleges, it is important to listen. Every part of the sector is represented at the meeting and their message could not be clearer: Brexit could seriously weaken Scottish education.
Some believe we are already seeing the effects. Students from the EU applying to study medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine have fallen to their lowest level for a decade. St Andrews, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh universities have also recently lost ground in the international league tables. It is hard to pin the blame entirely on Brexit, but these are not encouraging signs.
For the education leaders attending the summit, there are even greater dangers ahead. In a joint statement, they express concern about universities losing the chance to co-operate with other institutions in Europe as well as losing out on international funding; they are also concerned that if freedom of movement ends, students will lose the chance to study abroad.
There can be little doubt the risks are real – on funding many of the institutions which receive investment from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research programme are Scottish. The potential damage to student exchanges is also real – in 2014 to 2016, almost 4,500 students from Scottish universities studied or worked abroad.
In his speech to the summit, the principal of Glasgow University Sir Anton Muscatelli says the only hope is to remain in the EU – and who knows, with politics the way they are, that may yet happen. But at the very least Scotland needs an immigration arrangement that reflects its economic and cultural needs and the importance of our universities and colleges. Leaving the EU will mean major changes for the sector, but the aim must be to ensure that Scotland remains a destination of choice for staff and students from around the world.
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