A Dundee University course could be put at risk by a government decision to remove student funding, Scotland’s biggest teaching union has warned.
The EIS is worried that potential applicants will be put off from seeking places on the two-year postgraduate MSc in educational psychology because they will have to pay their own £9,000-per-year tuition fees.
Educational psychologists work with children who have social or emotional problems or learning difficulties that are affecting them at school. They also have a role in training teachers in issues such as behaviour and stress management.
EIS assistant secretary Drew Morrice said: ”Educational psychologists play a vital role right across Scotland, providing support to vulnerable young people and working with teachers in schools to address challenging behaviour within the pupil population.
”The decision to axe funding for the professional training of educational psychologists is short-sighted and will have a serious impact on the future recruitment of quality professionals into the educational psychology service.”
Mr Morrice has written to Education Secretary Mike Russell asking for a rethink on the decision to end financial support.
He said: ”The EIS believes the Dundee course, which is due to commence this autumn, is now at risk, which raises concern that there will be a significant problem in recruitment.
”We owe it to pupils across Scotland, particularly those young people from vulnerable or challenging backgrounds, to ensure that appropriate support is universally available from qualified educational psychologists where it is needed.
”This is not an area where the Scottish Government can adopt a penny-pinching attitude, as taking a cost-cutting approach now will only create a far larger and far more expensive problem for Scotland in the future.”
A university spokesman said: ”The university is committed to supporting the training of educational psychologists through the provision of a high-quality professional training programme leading to a masters in educational psychology.
”We have had 105 applications for the 2012-2014 programme, which compares with 127 for the 2010-2012 programme. Applicants and potential applicants were informed in December of the proposed change to the funding arrangements.
”The current position is that we are still prepared to offer the course but students may have to cover their own funding.”
He said the university acknowledged the current financial constraints and was willing to work with its partners, the British Psychological Society, the Scottish Division of Educational Psychology, Strathclyde University, the association of Directors of Education in Scotland and the Scottish Government, to discuss an adaptation or even restructuring of the current programme.
”However such a significant restructure and its accreditation by the BPS cannot be achieved within the current recruitment round,” he said.
The education secretary said he recognised the contribution that educational psychologists make in supporting youngsters to achieve their full potential and insisted the government’s long-standing commitment to funding training reflected this.
He added: ”However, the funding provided was introduced in response to a staffing shortage in that sector and there is now a need to ensure a consistent approach to funding of postgraduate training.
”Those students who are currently in training will not be affected. This means that there will be new educational psychologists entering the system for the next two years. We will use this time to work to ensure a sustainable approach going forward.”