Last Friday I met with the President of Adam Smith College Student Union, Ryan Smart, and signed up NUS Scotland’s campaign to ‘Fund Scotland’s Future’.

The campaign was launched by NUS Scotland after the Scottish Government’s draft budget proposed cuts of £36.4 million to the college budget and takes a form of a petition that I urge you to add your support too by signing up.

The petition highlights the concerns the impact that the cuts will have on colleges in Scotland whilst also calling on the Scottish Government to “reverse the proposed cut, and to protect college funding at current levels.”

This comes only a year after NUS Scotland campaigned on ‘Our Future, Our Fight’ which succeeded in forcing a Government climb down as they eventually reversed plans to cut colleges. Hopefully with your support we can force the Scottish Government to once again reverse these unfair and unjustified cuts to further education.

The Scottish Government cuts will have a detrimental effect on the quality of teaching and the number of courses available. We are already seeing an increase in waiting list times for students and further cuts will only add to the pressures being felt by colleges such as Adam Smith.

Colleges across the country, including right here in Fife, provide high quality education equipping people with skills for the future as well as providing some of the more deprived communities with the opportunity of a better future. At a time of increasing youth unemployment it is vital that this opportunity is maintained.

I was glad to be able to get the opportunity to meet with Ryan today and hear first-hand the concerns of local students at Adam Smith. It’s important that whilst the budget is still in its draft form that the Scottish Government listens to these concerns and reverse their cuts.

I urge you to join me to sign up to NUS Scotland’s campaign and stand alongside local students from Adam Smith College and beyond. http://www.fundscotlandsfuture.org/