Holyrood education committee to question SRUC leader
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie, who is a member of the Scottish Parliament’s education committee, has welcomed confirmation that the committee will question SRUC Principal Prof Wayne Powell in the new year.
The Education, Children and Young People Committee agreed in November to take evidence on SRUC at a future meeting. Invitations were issued to SRUC and other relevant witnesses including the NFUS and education unions. The SRUC Principal, Prof Wayne Powell has now confirmed to the committee that he will represent SRUC and take questions from MSPs.
Mr Rennie has previously campaigned vigorously against SRUC’s decision earlier this year to close the animal care unit at Elmwood in Cupar, working with students and staff and proposing alternative arrangements to save the course. He has since engaged with SRUC and has urged them to produce a sustainable plan for Elmwood which secures its operations there for the long-term.
The date for the hearing is yet to be confirmed but is likely to take place in January.
Mr Rennie said: “I am glad that the education committee will have a chance to put questions to SRUC and hear evidence on its operation and future. There is no getting away from the fact that SRUC has badly let down people in North East Fife by overseeing the managed decline of the Elmwood campus.
“Staff and students felt misled when the commitment to save the animal care unit last year crumbled just a year later. A lack of investment has seen the loss of the farm and student accommodation, the attempted sale of the golf course, the partial closure of the building and now the closure of the main building.
“Local people want to see a thriving and sustainable Elmwood which meets the needs of local agricultural businesses and gives vital opportunities for training and routes into good jobs. I will use the opportunity at the education committee to raise their concerns about the future of the site. I will press SRUC for a clear commitment to Elmwood and a plan to reverse the decline of recent years.
“There are also issues that affect the whole of the SRUC nationwide including the allocation of capital funding from the Scottish Funding Council which is inadequate to address the backlog in maintenance. I also want to explore the interplay between further and higher education within the SRUC.”