D&A College has seen a drop of more than 800 full-time students compared to eight years ago, with the SNP accused of using “smoke and mirrors” to hide the reduction in numbers.
Figures released in May had suggested a huge fall in college ‘headcount’ numbers throughout the country, with 10,000 fewer students in the past decade at D&A College, prompting significant backlash.
These were previously dismissed by the government as “not reliable” as they included those on very short courses of just a few hours.
However, new figures show the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students, which the government previously said “more accurately reflects college activity”, have also dropped from 8,176 in 2009/10 to 7,290 in 2016/17.
Bill Bowman, Scottish Conservative MSP for the north-east region, said the SNP government needs to “stop spinning its way out of trouble” and take action on the falling numbers.
In response, the Scottish Government said it has increased the funding allocation for the college this year to over £27 million — a 9.3% rise compared to 2017/18.
Mr Bowman said: “This is typical of the SNP – they use smoke and mirrors to deflect attention from their failings in government.
“Time and time again, ministers avoid difficult questions by rubbishing negative statistics and attacking the methodology used.
“The fact is that the SNP has presided over a shocking decline in the number of college places in Scotland.
“The SNP try to delay and avoid answering difficult questions. But no matter which way you look at it, this is a sector that is suffering under the SNP.
He added: “These new figures, now in the government’s preferred format, expose a major problem with higher education policy in this country.
“The SNP should stop trying to spin its way out of trouble, and instead take action to address the issue.”
Previous further education minister Shirley-Anne Somerville had said the original ‘headcount’ figures reflected a fall in the number of students enrolling in short courses — many of which constituted just five hours or so.
The Scottish Government said these had been intentionally “de-prioritised” by The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) as many do not lead to increased employment or to further education.
On the latest figures, the Scottish Government said: “We have exceeded our national target of 116,000 FTE students every year since 2011 and are committed to high quality, job-focused learning.
“This is backed by a financial commitment to the sector.
“For 2018-19 we increased overall college funding by £66.2 million to £664.9 million, a 9.4% increase in real terms.
“As part of that, we have ensured Dundee and Angus College can continue delivering impactful learning by increasing its core teaching funding allocation to over £27 million in 2018/19, an increase of 9.3% on the previous year.”
Dundee and Angus College, which has two campuses in Dundee and one in Arbroath, declined to comment on the figures.
