New challenges to Scottish Higher Education

Professor Mathieson of the University of Edinburgh has opened up the debate about the funding of undergraduate courses in Scotland. 

Mathieson asserts that in Scotland the cost of supporting degree level study is too great and that there should be increased Scottish Government funding, student tuition fees or some sort of graduate tax. 

He feels that this issue needs to become a public and political priority ahead of May's Scottish Parliament elections.

It will be interesting to see what political support his views creates. We have already seen Scottish Labour figure Des McNulty call for an end to the four year Scottish degree. 

This overt pitch should not be surprising. Mathieson has previously taken a bullish approach to what he sees as safeguarding the interests of the institution of which he is principal. The University of Edinburgh is currently in a position where significant job cuts have stalled. Time will tell if a return to strike in the capital is likely. 

Strike ballots focussed on threatened job losses and compulsory redundancies have been initiated at Aberdeen, Herriot Watt, Stirling and Strathclyde. These ballots follow a positive conclusion of a dispute at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and draw on the experience of the long running campaign of UCU members at the University of Dundee. 

Broadly, all is not well at Scotland’s Universities. The University of the West of Scotland, Napier and RGU in Aberdeen - where the EIS University Lecturers Association organises - have not been without their troubles. Staff concerns about jobs are very real in these institutions too. 

One aspect of this tension has been to focus on the eye watering salaries of those that manage these institutions. At Stirling, Gerry McCormac has come in for criticism. It is noteworthy that Peter Mathieson enjoys similar rewards. Whilst tackling the pay and privileges of those at the top of universities may only alter things by a degree financially, it would send a strong signal.

What is telling is that those that are calling for others to pay, be it, the public, students or staff are doing little to change their view of the world. 

Peter Mathieson draws on the experience of the University of Dundee (UoD) to try and justify his demand for more cash. But he, perhaps unsurprisingly, underplays the backdrop of mismanagement and governance issues at UoD. 

At Dundee we have seen trade unionists from UCU, and also from Unite and Unison over recent years identity the limitations of management that ignore the experience of staff and students.

Across the higher education sector there is a need to listen to the campus trades unions, the National Union of Students and those that see critical thinking as a vital aspect of society if we are to safeguard the distinctiveness of Scottish universities. Democratic governance and recognition of the importance of the workforce needs promoted if we are to move beyond continual disputes. Looking alone for additional funding - which may be needed - fails to address the complexity of the situation facing Scottish higher education. 

Published 12 January 2026.