University leaders are wary of calling for the introduction of tuition fees in Scotland because they fear being punished by the Holyrood government if they do, according to one vice-chancellor.

Craig Mahoney, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of West Scotland, said that charging for higher education would provide much-needed income for institutions and encourage students to adopt a consumerist approach.

But Professor Mahoney told Times Higher Education that fees were ¡°not talked about very often¡± among principals. In a ¡°close-knit¡± country like Scotland, he said, ¡°opposing government policy isn¡¯t always welcomed¡±.

The Scottish National Party has made maintaining free higher education a cornerstone of its administration ¨C going as far as erecting a monument to the policy at Heriot-Watt University.

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Professor Mahoney, formerly the chief executive of the Higher Education Academy, said: ¡°I believe this is a conversation we have to have; I believe there is an appetite to discuss this. But the concern is, if you are seen to be affronting current government policy, that may cause problems.¡±

Professor Mahoney complained that grants from the Scottish Funding Council provided the equivalent of about ?8,000 per student at best, leaving his institution with a multimillion-pound shortfall compared with English institutions.

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In addition, about 1,600 UWS students are classed as ¡°fees only¡±, meaning the university receives only ?1,820 per student and does not receive the teaching grant element from the funding council ¨C leaving another ?10 million gap.

More funding would be invaluable in improving UWS¡¯s facilities and providing more student support, Professor Mahoney said.

He added that learners would be more demanding if they were paying for their education and argued that this would be a good thing. He described Scottish universities¡¯ ¡°variable¡± performance in the National Student Survey as ¡°disturbing¡±.

Among the options Professor Mahoney is considering at UWS is offering refunds to non-European Union and English fee-paying students who fail to complete their courses.

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A Scottish government spokesman said that student satisfaction levels were above the UK average, adding that the fact that 120,000 students at Scottish universities did not have to pay fees ¡°is important for them, their families and the economy¡±.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com