Sir Peter William Mathieson, above, born in Colchester, educated entirely in England with only a medical science degree, and principal of the university where anti-working class Scots bias is the norm1, is on BBC Scotland today to tell us:
Edinburgh University’s principal says Scottish students should be asked to pay towards their tuition, as the sector is in “danger” under the current system. Prof Sir Peter Mathieson said that Scotland – where undergraduate tuition is free for most students – could adopt a “graduate repayment scheme” based upon salary. Mathieson insisted Scotland’s funding model was “not sustainable”, but said he was “not advocating the introduction of tuition fees”.2
Why he has got some cheek.
In 1560, the Scottish religious leader and Edinburgh citizen, John Knox, consolidated a programme for universally-free education from primary school to university, level which had begun in 1496. This was motivated by a desire to both educate all so that they may read the bible for themselves but also to tackle poverty.
As a result Scotland was almost universally literate by 1600. England was to take 200 to 300 years longer.
In 2014, research reported by the Office for National Statistics found that Scotland was the most highly educated country in Europe and among the most well-educated in the world in terms of tertiary education attainment, with roughly 40% of people in Scotland aged 16–64 educated to NVQ level 4 and above.3
Why he will be ignored.
Education Minister Jenny Gilruth has vowed the SNP will “stand by” free tuition fees despite the funding crisis facing Scotland’s universities. Scotland is the only UK nation to offer free university tuition to its home students.4
Why she is correct?
Education has positive benefits for the rest of society. If university education is left to market forces, there may be under-provision, and the economy may suffer from a lack of skilled graduates. Furthermore, in a free market, higher education would become the preserve of wealthy families who can afford to send their children to university. Therefore there is a strong case for the government providing higher education free at the point of use.5
Sources:
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2nyrr16g2o
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgl846jepgo
- http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-06-05/scotland-most-well-educated-country-in-europe
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqjwj0dzrjo
- https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/949/economics/should-university-education-be-free/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Cut his salary
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He could hand some of it back if he’s so concerned. Or he could work for a university elsewhere and let a Scot have the job.
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Someone once asked, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
When Peter Mathieson fixes the bigotry and prejudice against Scottish working class students at Edinburgh University, then maybe he can advise others how to fix university education.
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Edinburgh and St Andrews were colonised decades ago. No surprise ( but a disgrace) that Scots are scorned and racially abused in their own country.
gavinochiltree
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Just speculating here but… given his apparent age , did this advocate for tuition fees not receive free Uni education when he was a nipper ?
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I wonder if he was the Principal when Edinburgh University recently removed the name “David Hume” from the David Hume Tower because some American visiting lecturer at Cambridge claimed that David Hume, Europe’s foremost philosopher, once advised someone to invest in a plantation.
It was renamed 40 George Square. I have no idea who the “George” in question was.
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It’s instilled in them from a very early age through the mediums of education, media and indeed their parents that England knows best so its hardly surprising that they have a willing partner in BBC Scotland to lecture us on everything. They view Scots as errant children who need the benefit of their wisdom and not of course just in Politics. They cast the net wide as anyone familiar with any BBC Scotland News/ documentaries knows features some ‘English’speaking people to give the impression we are simply incapable of managing things ourselves. That is the ‘Better Together’ message they want to convey.
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Apparently last night he , this Principal, was also on the new BBC propaganda outlet called ‘Scotcast’ where he was discussing this .
It seems this is something the BBC are not going to let go as they are only too aware that free Tuition fees in Scotland is a positive policy that many people within Scotland both want and need , so the BBC must then try to make it a #SNPBAD thing. (another one).
What about debating Brexit’s impact upon Universities or indeed the now very much hostile immigration system that the different UK governments have now adopted, as surely these factors are impacting all Universities within the UK , who are all now seeing less foreign students coming to Universities here and so then financially this has resulted in losses for the Universities.
Free Student fees were introduced in Scotland in 2008 via a bill and the then SNP Scottish Education secretary Fiona Hyslop said ” “We believe access to education should be based on ability to learn, not ability to pay”.
Also in 2018 it was reported in relation to EU Students that:
“The Scottish government has extended the guarantee of free tuition for EU students to those starting in the 2019 to 2020 academic year”.
“Eligible students will have their fees met for the duration of their studies, even after the UK leaves the EU”
“Ministers said this would provide confidence for prospective students as well as the certainty that universities need to plan ahead“
“Scotland’s higher education minister Shirley-Anne Somerville told MSPs that the Scottish government had already pledged to provide free tuition for EU students starting their courses in 2017-18 and 2018-19″
She said: “I can announce that we will now extend that commitment to the 2019-20 student cohort”.
“We are the first government in the UK to make such a commitment”
Prof Andrea Nolan, convener of Universities Scotland, welcomed the move, saying: “Today’s announcement gives some much-needed clarity and assurance to universities, but most importantly demonstrates to EU students that they continue to be welcome in Scotland”
“EU students are a core part of many important courses but are also highly-valued educationally, culturally and economically, not just by universities but the communities in which they live.”.
In 2017 it had been reported that:
The Scottish government’s decision that university students from EU countries who start their courses in 2018 will be able to complete their studies without paying tuition fees has been broadly welcomed“
Universities feared the uncertainty could put off applicants from the EU“.
“European law meant that students from other EU countries also have to be able to access free tuition in Scotland in exactly the same way as Scots”.
(That info is for those who moan about why it is that English – and Welsh – young people do not get free tuition fees if they are studying in Scotland, when EU students did. Just imagine the influx of potential students from elsewhere outwith Scotland within the UK , all to try and take advantage of free tuition fees here , so avoiding higher tuition fees in England & Wales, which then potentially could limit the access to Scottish students but also it was via European Law that enabled free tuition to EU students studying here before, as the UK was once a a member state of the EU but in Scotland free tuition for EU students had to end from 2021 because of Brexit).
We were also told that “Scottish universities proudly see themselves as international institutions” , but post Brexit (and now with stricter immigration rules for foreign Nationals within the UK) then now “what rights do EU students have to work in Scotland or whether they can use public services after Brexit”.
As to Scottish students the Scottish government wanted to help ensure that more youngsters from disadvantaged areas get to university.
In 2017 within the UK it was reported that:
“Universities have been warning about the impact of Brexit on their finances if European applications fall and figures show a significant decline in candidates from the EU”.
In 2023 it was reported that:
“Since the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) in 2021, the cost of university tuition fees for EU nationals in the UK has skyrocketed”
” Additionally, EU nationals are now required to pay a surcharge to access the national health service and visa costs on top of this“
“Due to the soaring prices, there has been a significant decline in the number of EU citizens applying to study in the UK“
“This will negatively affect the UK’s economy due to a fall in the amount of money brought into the country by EU students who have been largely affected by these changes and are now choosing to study elsewhere, such as The Netherlands”.
But then that was also reported in 2017 when it was reported that:
“There has also been a decline in UK students applying – and like the two previous occasions when applications have fallen – this has been when fees are being increased“
“The fall in applications in England of 6% has been three times greater than in Scotland at 2%, which remains without tuition fees”
“Applications from Wales fell most, by 7%, and Northern Ireland by 5%“.
(So where is this Edinburgh University Principal’s challenges upon both Brexit and the new strict immigration laws imposed by different UK governments post Brexit. Also the financial impact upon Universities via the historic , current and future Tuition fees being increased elsewhere within the UK , that then have impacted – as in reduced- student applications at a far greater rate than the applications that have been made by applicants within Scotland, all because Scotland has free tuition fees as opposed to ever increasing and unaffordable fees elsewhere within the UK that then leaves the students in great debt).
So perhaps this Edinburgh University Principal is seeking to misrepresent his case , as in another one screaming #SNPBAD , at what is a tad too convenient a time for opposition parties , what with the elections this year in Scotland, as are the BBC in Scotland of course timing this platform for him now.
Now in 2025 it was announced that:
“The UK will rejoin the Erasmus study scheme from 2027, six years after announcing it would end its participation as part of a deal to leave the European Union (EU)”.
“British students will be able to spend a year studying at European universities as part of their UK degree courses without paying extra fees, and vice versa for European students”.
“The agreement only covers the 2027-28 academic year, with any future access dependent on new deals”.
Meanwhile it was also reported in 2025 that the “UK government announced plans that University fees in England will increase every year in line with inflation from 2026 onwards”.
Is this what the Principal of Edinburgh University wants to see happening within Scotland ?
Where a decision to go to University is based not upon your intellectual capabilities but instead upon your future financial ability to pay off the costs of Tuition fees, that then may prevent you from deciding to go to University, as of course there is then the resulting debt to be considered after your course is finished as a huge factor in your decision to go to University.
This Principal may say he is “not advocating the introduction of tuition Fees in Scotland” , but what he is doing is trying to introduce something that , if it fails, could then result in a demand by the media, the opposition parties and also Universities too , in them stating that it has become financially imperative for the survival of Universities that students here in Scotland now need to start paying for all of their tuition fees.
We all know that free tuition fees is a plus as a election winner for the SNP which is why the opposition parties, the media and also certain other ‘players’ challenge it as a policy.
Also was there not some big stushie with Jim Wallace, the then Lib Dem MSP , who is now in the HOL’s, betraying Scottish students when the Lib Dems were part of a coalition Scottish government with Labour at Holyrood.
As the Lib Dems had put the “‘abolition of tuition fees as a “non-negotiable” part of their party’s election manifesto ” yet it ended up that “a “Graduate Endowment” of £2,000 (later rising slightly) was introduced, which graduates would only start repaying once their earnings reached a certain threshold.
This was viewed by critics as a de facto graduate tax and not a true abolition of fees” .
However Lib Dem history repeated itself when the once Lib Dem UK leader Nick Clegg also betrayed English students with the same declaration of free tuition fees and then he also went back on it when part of the Tory -Lib Dem coalition UK government in 2010, indeed not only did he renege on it as a election pledge , but Tuition fees were actually trebled for English students from £3000 to £9000 !
So I think we should keep our free Tuition fees in Scotland , as at least potential students , and their parents, know exactly where they stand from a financial perspective , which given the continued cost of living crisis which is mainly due to various UK governments inaction and bad policy decisions, then every penny counts.
Also no young person should have to have their potential futures compromised just because of money considerations, as in lack of money.
Sick of this constant grievance that is merely yet another pathetic excuse to declare #SNPBAD.
Look elsewhere for the real source of Scotland’s problems and worries as then you will find an abundance that has a huge negative impact upon us………….including those that impact Scottish Universities !
Liz S
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*Where a decision to go to University is based not upon your intellectual capabilities
Where a decision to go to University is not based solely upon your intellectual capabilities
Liz S
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