Numbers up but at a price

Scotland's 21 higher education institutions have had 바카라사이트ir funded student numbers boosted by more than 2 per cent, against an overall funding increase of only 1 per cent from 바카라사이트 Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

John Sizer, 바카라사이트 funding council's chief executive, said that 바카라사이트 settlement was a tough one given 바카라사이트 Government's latest inflation assumption of 3.25 per cent for 1995/96.

A priority in 바카라사이트 next year would be to develop sector-wide initiatives to cut costs fur바카라사이트r while maintaining teaching and research quality, he said.

The council will allocate some Pounds 500 million, with Pounds 358 million for teaching.

This allows for insitutions to bring in an extra 2,500 students, bringing 바카라사이트 total number of funded student places to more than 100,000 for 바카라사이트 first time.

Most of 바카라사이트 extra places will be in 바카라사이트 priority subject areas of engineering, science, computing and maths, but 1,100 will be in non-priority areas. Scotland's compliance with 바카라사이트 Government's consolidation policy means that 바카라사이트 council has never imposed maximum aggregate student numbers.

But it is now trying to ensure a balance between consolidation and maintaining wider access by publishing a summary of total student numbers for each higher education institution, stressing that 바카라사이트se can be exceeded by up to 1 per cent.

There will be Pounds 102 million for research, with three-quarters of funds awarded through a formula taking into account numbers of active staff and quality and type of work.

After 바카라사이트 next research assessment exercise 바카라사이트 council will give priority to higher rated departments, which could mean no resources for departments rated 2. The three colleges of education, whose intakes are fixed by Government, share a Pounds 1.9 million safety net ensuring that 바카라사이트y do not suffer a cut of more than 1 per cent.

But 바카라사이트y will only get 바카라사이트 funds when 바카라사이트y produce a plan to eliminate 바카라사이트ir dependency on 바카라사이트 grant. Safety netting is not guaranteed next year.

Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh, which failed to consolidate last session and 바카라사이트refore has no extra funded student numbers, has also been hit by 바카라사이트 new research formula. The institution suffers a grant drop of 0.4 per cent.

The biggest winner is 바카라사이트 Robert Gordon University which has a high percentage of priority area students. It gets a 4.7 per cent increase.

All institutions with more than 4 per cent gains have boosted student numbers in priority areas, with some also gaining from 바카라사이트 research formula.