Fife College students launch campaign to save courses under threat of closure

It warns that cancelling the courses would affect students and lecturers - and the provision of mental health services within Fife. The college has confirmed a standard curriculum review is underway, but budget cuts from the Scottish Government means it faces some tough calls. It stressed, however, that no final decisions have been made.

Concerns over the loss of counselling courses arose this week, sparking a response from students. They said the proposals for the next two years would mean the end for the HND and HNC courses currently running.

A petition stated: “Mental health support is needed throughout Fife more now than ever. The implications do not only apply to current students, but to the young people who within Fife were looking to develop a career in counselling. If Fife College follows through with cancelling these courses it will have a huge effect on the organisations that take on student counsellors for placements. This will lead to a loss of counsellors in the near future.”

A spokesman for the college said all current discussions were part of the consultation process, adding: “As all colleges will do, we regularly review the curriculum offering as to what courses it will offer in the future. We review this at least annually to ensure that our future provision is in line with regional employment trends. We also review in terms of how popular these courses have been over the previous years.

"This year, with an effective cut in Scottish Government funding for all colleges across Scotland, we need to make some hard decisions. To be clear, though, at this stage no decision has been made as to where any changes may be implemented. All discussions at the moment are consultative.

“With any decisions we do make, we will not lose focus on delivering an excellent education for our students, and delivering vital skills for our communities and regional economy."

A petition has been launched online at www.change.org