College fear over loss of ministerial direction
Questions why accountability must be sacrificed to charitable status
Moves to allow colleges across Scotland to keep their charitable status by removing ministerial powers of direction could mean a loss of democratic accountability.
Lecturers and students have raised this concern following a proposal by the Executive in order to preserve the colleges' charitable status. This move follows the new Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act, under which all charities have to be independent of government. Losing charitable status could mean the colleges losing up to £20 million a year in tax breaks.
The further education sector receives over £600 million in public funds each year.
Ken Wimbor of the Educational Institute of Scotland said his organisation was in favour of retaining the charitable status of colleges, but he did not see why this needed the withdrawal of ministerial direction.
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