Backing from Lanarkshire MSP for party's call for universities to reduce length of degree courses

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Central Scotland MSP Meghan Gallacher is backing her party’s plans to encourage Scottish universities to reduce standard undergraduate degrees from four years to three.The policy was unveiled by the Scottish Conservative’s shadow education secretary Stephen Kerr to coincide with the party’s annual conference at Glasgow last weekend.While the MSP accepts that a reduction to three years would clearly not be practical for all courses – such as medicine – she believes that universities such as University of the West of Scotland should have this option for arts and humanities courses in particular.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android According to the MSP this would allow the cap on Scottish students to be substantially uplifted, given the surplus funding as a result of reducing degrees by a year.Meghan Gallacher claims the current cap makes it harder for Scottish students to go to university – citing an 84 per cent increase since 2006 in the number of Scottish-based students denied entry.The Tory MSP claims three-year degrees would reduce student debt by a quarter for those in Central Scotland who receive student loans of up to £7,000 per year.And that funding would not be reduced for universities through the proposal, and that the Scottish Conservatives will engage with universities to identify where it