Isadorathe failings in higher and further education are one of the many things that are not properly publicised in Scotland.
Due to the inability of Scottish universities to raise more funds, they have needed to recruit more from outwith the EU and England in recent years, so that places available to Scottish students have reduced significantly. Likewslise, further education college placenumbers have reduced.
The universities have been investing in building halls of residence for these overseas students, because it keeps them afloat financially. Nevertheless, staff at a major Scottish University disrupted that year's teaching due to strike action because they were told to accept a 10% pay cut and loss of pension rights.
Then there's the loss of academic independence - thus would be illegal or heavily discouraged in many countries but there is a practice now in Scottish uniersities of making academics submit their proposed papers to the Principal for "approval" - in reality, that means you can't be too critical of the Snp.
Don't get me started on standards, even at postgraduate level, where Harvard referencing and essay writing with actual sentences and paragraphs are unknown to many... How that is possible at such a level, I do not understand.
Oh, and the schools were closed here for many more weeks than in the rest of Northern Europe.