THE Association of Scottish Colleges accepts that the issues identified for action are important but cautions against overloading the sector. “Members of college boards of management are unpaid volunteers and mustn’t be treated as if they are salaried executive directors,” Tom Kelly, its chief officer, comments.
Colleges would normally expect to have two board meetings between now and the end of the year, which would leave almost no time for anythin else. “They must be allowed elbow room to determine their order of priorities,” Mr Kelly said.
Marian Healy, further and higher education officer with the Educational Institute of Scotland, said that while the report was not as hard-hitting as the union had hoped, it was a positive document “which recognises that industrial relations difficulties do exist and it puts in place a mechanism for the funding council to monitor improvements”.
