Fighting fund banner

 

UCU Scotland condemns university taskforce

20 December 2007

UCU Scotland today condemned the lack of involvement of key stakeholders in the taskforce on universities.

It said the SNP government had broken its implicit agreement to involve UCU in developing strategy for universities, which means the task force is not representative of universities as it only involves managers who know little of the nature of teaching and research. UCU Scotland also said it does not even include a student voice.

Terry Brotherstone, UCU Scotland president, said: 'Obviously the government can meet and discuss issues with university employers but this is not a taskforce in the usual sense. The scope of the review is narrowly focused and unlikely to deliver as it will be seen as yet another bureaucratic imposition from business managers and civil servants. It requires a much broader remit and involvement of the people who actually deliver teaching and research in our universities.

'Given our excellent relations with the government in its early months, we are deeply disappointed UCU Scotland has not been consulted about the nature of the review or included in the task force. If the new Scottish government is genuinely interested in a new approach to Scottish Higher Education what is needed is something closer to a Robbins report rather than this narrow review.'

Last updated: 14 December 2015

Comments