Senior language tutors at St Andrews University are facing redundancy at a time of “fiscal uncertainty” for the centuries-old institution.
The four employees have been told they may lose their jobs as the “serious financial position” of the school of modern languages is tackled.
News of their possible departure has prompted a backlash among worried students who fear their education may suffer.
One language student called the proposed redundancies “unacceptable.”
“These amazing and highly talented individuals are some of the best teachers the modern languages department has,” she said. “The learning of languages students will suffer if they are indeed made redundant.
“Not only do they teach us phenomenally well, but they are in charge of structuring and planning our language education, so clearly they are integral.”
A graduate of the school said the redundancies would cause “critical damage” to the standard of tuition.
He said, “The work of these staff is vital to the quality of teaching and their loss would not only damage this but also put other academic staff within each department under strain to cover the teaching gap.”
The school, which includes the French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish departments, is considered one of the UK’s best schools of modern languages.
It comes days after principal Dr Louise Richardson said St Andrews was determined to avoid the redundancies and department closures other universities were making.RestructuringStudents were informed by email that a meeting had been held with the tutors in which they were told they were “at risk of redundancy linked with the restructuring of the school.”
The email also said, “The restructuring is part of the requirement to address the serious financial position of the school.”
Talks were being held with University and College Union representatives, it said, and there will be individual consultations with tutors if required.
A university spokesman insisted no other redundancies were being proposed.
He said, “As part of a review of staffing in the school of modern languages, four members of staff have been advised that their positions may be at risk of redundancy.
“The review is not yet complete and no decisions have been made.
“As a matter of policy, the University of St Andrews seeks to avoid redundancy wherever possible.”
He refused to give details of the school’s financial situation.
The university recently confirmed the purchase of the former Curtis Fine Papers mill at Guardbridge, which was on the market at around £3 million.
It has also emerged that a £46 million refurbishment of the university library had been scaled back due to what Dr Richardson described as “fiscal and planning uncertainty.”