THE chairman of James Watt College has resigned over the Scottish Government’s plan to regionalise colleges.

Chairman of the board of management Drew Duncan said: “It is with considerable sadness that I have decided to leave. I find myself disagreeing with the regionalisation plans for the college sector put forward by the Scottish Government recently. It is my personal opinion that these proposals will not have a favourable impact on James Watt College as a whole and for this reason I wish to finish my tenure as Board Chair.

“It is my view that the Cabinet Secretary for Education’s decision to merge [James Watt College’s] North Ayrshire Campus in Kilwinning with neighbouring colleges in the Ayrshire region will effectively break up a successful college for political reasons. I do not believe there is any educational justification for such a move.”

Mr Duncan, a former provost of North Ayrshire, pictured with college principal Sue Pinder, has served as chairman since 2008 and has been a long standing supporter of the College.

He stressed: “This move has not been prompted by any disagreement within the board or with any member of staff at the college; rather it is very much a personal decision. I wish to publicly express my thanks to all at James Watt College and within the college sector. I consider it a privilege and an honour to have served on the Board and an even greater privilege to have been chairman for the past five years.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Regionalisation is fundamentally about the needs of learners – not institutions – and meeting them more effectively. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of students at the Kilwinning campus come from Ayrshire. It therefore makes sense for the new Ayrshire region to be responsible for planning further education for their area, whilst ensuring local delivery including in Kilwinning."

College Principal Sue Pinder said: “Drew Duncan has been an excellent chairman and has served the college in every way possible for a number of years now. We are very sad to see him step down but of course respectful of his decision to do so. On behalf of everyone at James Watt College, I wish him well in his future endeavours and thank him for all his tremendous hard work over the years.”

Mr Duncan, who lives in Kilwinning, had a long career as a secondary school teacher. He was awarded an OBE in 2007 in recognition of his services to local government.

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