SCOTTISH Universities face losing their worldwide reputation unless politicians admit that students need to pay more for their education, it was warned last night.
The architect of student funding north of the Border says political parties are ducking the issue for fear of losing votes at next year's Holyrood elections.
Dr Andrew Cubie also said that unless the issue is addressed Scotland's brightest and be
st academics are likely to be tempted by attractive job offers from better resourced universities in England.
Cubie, who led the eponymous report into student finance in 1999, was responsible for the graduate endowment which sees Scottish students pay fees back only after they have graduated.
His inquiry was set up as part of the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition deal in the first Scottish Parliament when the issue of tuition fees emerged as the main point of contention for both parties.
Seven years later, however, Cubie believes that Scotland risks falling behind, given that English universities will gain millions in extra revenue from up front top-up fees.
Cubie said: "In 1999 we were leading how we paid for university education but now we are following. If it is the settled political will that top up fees are not on the Executive's agenda then there will be consequences in the next four years. The money has to come from somewhere else and that means the public purse or the consumer [student]. I would like to see our politicians talking about this because we need a public debate to find imaginative solutions."
Students south of the Border will be charged up to £3,000 for the first time this summer. It will give English university bosses an extra £338m in 2006-7, rising to £667m next year and £1bn by 2008-09.
The money will allow them to recruit more and better staff, improve teaching and fund expensive research. However, the worry for Cubie is that in 2009, when a cap on fees could be removed, English universities will surge ahead of their Scottish rivals.
Cubie, who is also chairman of Napier University's governing body, said: "Like it or not a differential could open up between England and Scotland. That will always be appealing to academics with ability and ambition who could earn more money and have greater opportunities elsewhere.
"It will be interesting to see what the political parties say about higher education in their manifestos next year because if the issue isn't tackled before the end of the next Scottish Parliament [in 2011] there could be serious problems. It could also make Scotland less attractive to overseas students."
Asked if Scottish students will have to pay more for their degrees, Cubie added: "I cannot credibly see the public purse contributing substantially more money than it already does. There needs to be a review of how much a graduate contributes. We need to look at alternatives, including a graduate tax."
Cubie received qualified support last night from Professor Mike Pittilo, principal of Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen.
Pittilo said: "Top-up fees, on the whole, have led to a decline in university applications but new funding measures are needed. The Executive has some very difficult choices to make.
"What may be acceptable in Scotland is some form of graduate tax. Throughout their lifetime a graduate will earn more than someone who has not been to university so that has to be looked at."
However, a spokesman for Universities Scotland,
said: "Sensible investment will ensure that Scotland continues to compete. There is likely to be a General Election in 2009 when top up fees may well be one of the biggest issues in England. It is not inevitable that the £3,000 cap will be removed."
A Scottish Executive spokesman said: "We remain committed to maintaining the competitiveness of higher education in Scotland. Our investment will exceed £1bn per year by 2007-08, an increase of almost £300m since 2003-04."
