Plans to scrap graduate endowment fee

The Scottish education minister Fiona Hyslop has criticised MSPs who are opposed to scrapping the graduate endowment.

According to the Associated Press, Labour and Conservative MSPs are planning to block the move, which would abolish the £2,289 charge paid by students after they graduate.

Ms Hyslop said that removing the charge would help to 'relieve some of the financial pressures' graduates face when they begin working.

'At a time when young people want to get on with their lives some MSPs want to keep holding them back,' she remarked.

Suggesting that the policy has 'failed students', Ms Hyslop claimed that it has also 'failed graduates' by placing additional financial burdens on them.

In a letter to The Herald, Richard Baker, Labour MSP, said that the money raised from the endowment ought to contribute towards 'more generous' bursaries.

The Scottish National Party's proposals would mean that students who are currently studying will not receive 'one extra penny', he claimed.