Chamber and committees

Is that happening right now? Are people losing out right now because of this?

My final question is about how you feed back to Government on all of this. I am not sure that Government fully understands the effects on students of what I would describe as cuts. How do you feed that back?

You have focused on the finances, but we have not really talked about what getting the finances under control means. I presume that you measure that and the impact of the reduction in the curriculum offer. What is your assessment of the consequences of implementing the financial measures?

I have an immediate concern on two fronts. First, if more courses go online, that might not always work for a cohort of vulnerable people who are getting into educational establishments and looking for future careers. Secondly, when the regionalisation programme was introduced, we were told that that was not just about centralising course provision, because younger people who go to colleges are less likely to travel from their communities. On both fronts, have you got concerns about more courses going online and about centralisation, even if it is at a regional level?

Good morning. We have heard considerable evidence about the financial outlook for further and higher education institutions—that is, colleges and universities. I would like to hear directly from Shona and Iain about what that looks like and how you are coping.

Before I come to Professor Gillespie, can you tell us what the real-life consequences of this situation are for students and staff?

You just said something interesting there, when you said that you have confidence in the sector as a whole and that provision will continue. Locally, however, there have been reports about individual institutions. I know that you will not want to go into huge detail on some of those issues, but are you indicating that some of those institutions might not survive?

I have one final question, if that is okay, convener.

Ms Watt, do you agree with Shona Struthers when she said that she has never seen a situation like this before?

This is partly about what the professor has just been talking about. This is not a simple solution. You are being forced down a route of taking on ever greater numbers of international students in order to subsidise domestic provision. You have talked about global shocks in individual countries. That can happen. Let us be blunt: if China invaded Taiwan, the shock to UK universities would be significant, and we would be back to square 1 with the finances.

I am slightly puzzled because the reports that I hear about the financial situation in colleges and universities are much more stark than what you have presented this morning. I am wondering why you are holding back and being more cautious than they are. This is your opportunity to tell the Government that things are stark and that, if we do not take action now, there could be real-life consequences.

We have talked about lost opportunities for the future, but my concern is what students are losing out on now. I am puzzled about why there is caution. The international student market is really important, but we cannot be overdependent on it. Tell me what is going on. I do not quite understand why there is caution.

In advance of today’s meeting, did you get an update about how things are progressing?