By Bill Heaney
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has “betrayed” students and teachers.
Gilruth, just a few weeks into the post, stated that the £46 million uplift for colleges and universities will not be available for distribution.
Scottish Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy, pictured right, excoriated Gilruth: “After throwing further and higher education into chaos by failing to provide answers over funding, this SNP government has now decided to withdraw the funding altogether.
“This is a complete betrayal of Scottish students and staff who work in education here.
“Jenny Gilruth has followed in the footsteps of her predecessor Shirley-Anne Somerville and left Scotland’s colleges and universities high and dry.
“With industrial relations on its knees and students under more and more strain, it’s clear that this SNP government has given up on staff and students and ceased to do the basic work of government.
“As the SNP circus continues, Scotland’s colleges and universities face cuts biting to the bone and industrial action is looming.
“Its high time the government acted before more students and staff are failed.”
The LibDems also attacked Gilruth, who is pictured above with FM Humza Yousaf.
Their education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP, pictured left, said: “Colleges and universities already had ugly decisions to take to balance their budgets after funding reductions by the Scottish Government.
“This further cut won’t help them educate more people and ready them for our economy, which is desperate for skilled and educated workers.
“The SNP Government budget is clearly in such a chaotic state that they are pulling funds well into the financial year. This is no way to run a government and no way to educate young people.”