As Lewis Carroll pointed out, a word can mean whatever we want it to mean. Nevertheless, the purist in me thinks that life is simpler if the meaning of a word is agreed by all of us.

That being the case, it would be helpful if terminology in the education system had consistent meanings, rather than the fluidity that seems to have developed. Consider the following terms: school, college, academy, university, institute. To the naked eye, they seem nicely differentiated. In reality, there is a large degree of uncertainty in their meanings.

A school is usually understood to be a place of primary or secondary education - so that Fettes College in Edinburgh, despite its name, describes itself as a “leading independent boarding and day school”. But equally, each of the three sub-divisions of North East Scotland College is a “school” and even some universities are organised into “schools”. There is also the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Royal School of Needlework. These organisations just aren’t the same as each other.

An academy could be a higher education institution for the arts, such as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). But equally, it could be a secondary school. Even though “university” is a protected term, requiring approval by the Privy Council, it is used by initiatives such as the Scottish University for Industry, the University of the Third Age (U3A) and the Children’s University, none of which are actually universities.

Institutional identity crisis

And what is an institute? It’s a term that turns up in various contexts. Is the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries like the Institute of Directors? Or the Educational Institute of Scotland teaching union? Or the institutes of technology that are being established in England? Or the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham? What do these various organisations have in common?

The confusion is most evident in the word “college”. A college could be an incorporated body established by the Further and Higher Education acts and registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and subject to regulatory control from Education Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council, and Audit Scotland, among others. But equally, it could be a secondary school such as George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. Or it could be one of the subdivisions of a university, or a stand-alone HE institution, such as the Royal College of Music. Or it could be a professional organisation, such as the Royal College of Nursing. Or it could be a private training provider (subject to little by way of regulation).

A new name could ensure colleges get the recognition they deserve

Does this matter? Yes. For the state-funded incorporated college sector in Scotland, it poses a huge problem. Because the word “college” can be used for so many purposes, it is not widely understood what these incorporated colleges are - which probably explains why they are so often forgotten when people talk about the education system. They are not sufficiently distinct, especially from the various private training organisations that call themselves colleges.

When it was alleged recently that some private language schools that used the term “college” were condoning and facilitating cheating on English language tests, the press merely said that “colleges” had been cheating. And there was nothing to disassociate the incorporated colleges from the malpractice.

Part of the problem about lack of parity of esteem for colleges compared with universities arises from the fact that the name “college” has so little distinction (in both senses of the word).

The term “further education college sector” can be used to differentiate our colleges from other types. But that is misleading because our colleges deliver a large amount of higher education, too. “Colleges of further and higher education” is overly long to be of practical use. So we ought to find some alternative name for the sector.

Changing role

In this context, it is relevant to note that the role of colleges is changing. There is a trend towards an increasing proportion of young people staying at school into S5 and even S6. However, the percentage of school-leavers progressing to college as their first destination is remaining the same or increasing.

We have to assume that, having spent more time in school, students will have developed greater skills and understanding and that, as such, they will enter a higher level of programme than if they had left at the end of S4 - otherwise, what was the point of them being kept at school?

We must also assume that the balance of college provision should shift towards higher levels of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, with a decreasing focus on introductory programmes at SCQF levels 4 and 5 and an increasing focus on National Certificates at SCQF level 6 and, especially given the success of 2+2 articulation arrangements, on HNC/HND provision (at SCQF levels 7 and 8 - the same as the first two years of university).

So, in order to differentiate the state-funded incorporated college sector from all the other forms of “college”, maybe it is time for a new name, one that could be protected by government and could not just be assumed by any other type of organisation.

Of course, there may well be better suggestions, but as a starter, how about “polytechnic”? It isn’t currently used in Scotland, has positive connotations and is actually a good description of what colleges - or at least the larger regional colleges - are about. Adopting this, or some other distinctive term, could help to ensure that Scotland’s colleges are always afforded the recognition they deserve.

Rob Wallen is principal of North East Scotland College