EGN NEWS DESK
The closure of two Christian personal colleges in Scotland has been branded “unhappy” and “heartbreaking”.
Kilgraston in Perthshire, Scotland’s solely Catholic boarding college, mentioned it was closing with rapid impact, citing “the potential influence of VAT on college charges”. A “short- and long-term funding deficit”, and the collapse of a deliberate sale additionally contributed to the choice.
In Greenock, Cedars Christian college is to shut on the finish of September after 25 years within the west Scotland city. It additionally cited considerations over Labour’s VAT plans in a letter to folks.
The chair of the college board, Jennifer Offord, introduced: “We are deeply saddened to report that Cedars will shut on Friday, September 27, after 25 years providing a caring and Christian training to kids in Inverclyde and the encircling areas.
“Our ideas and prayers are first for our pupils, dad and mom, employees and volunteers but in addition our pals and supporters, who’ve faithfully and sacrificially given to maintain the college working over a few years.”
Both colleges are closing down regardless of valiant fundraising efforts to avoid wasting them. They are actively in search of to put present pupils in different native colleges.
A spokesperson for Cedars informed The Telegraph newspaper that the timing of the VAT enhance was “actually unhelpful”.
Niel Deepnarain, head of Unite for Education, a Scotland-based Christian training charity, mentioned he was “very unhappy” in regards to the state of the training system and the influence of the VAT modifications on Christian colleges.
“Cedars college has supplied a superb training over a few years with persistently excessive attainment ranges and native kids will now be worse off because of this,” he mentioned.
“Children throughout Scotland are confronted with elevated indoctrination within the classroom, so the necessity for Christian training has by no means been higher.
“We at Unite for Education want to see each baby getting access to Christ-centred training and the closure of Cedars means kids in Inverclyde have misplaced their solely Christian college.
“It is evident that the choice of the brand new Labour authorities to impose VAT on college charges from January has been one burden too many for households already dealing with excessive residing prices.”
Mr Deepnarain mentioned he had been in contact with the college to take a look at methods wherein a Christ-centred training can proceed to be provided to kids within the Inverclyde space, and the way different unbiased Christian colleges might be supported to stop their closure.
He is looking on the Church “to get up to the fact of the challenges we face in society and come up collectively to step up and as soon as once more lead from the entrance by funding Christian training to make sure cash is not any barrier to kids receiving a very good training”.
“We will proceed to work with present colleges, dwelling educators and organisations to develop and enhance the wanted provision of Christian training in Scotland,” he mentioned.
“The want is nice and the price of doing nothing is simply too nice. We should rise up and take motion now for the sake of the kids.”
