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11 March 2011
Last updated at 19:51 ET
By Andrew Black
Political reporter, BBC Scotland
SNP leader Alex Salmond is vowing to keep university education free for Scottish students, if his party wins the Holyrood election in May.
His pledge, which will be made at SNP conference in Glasgow, comes after the UK government backed a large rise in university tuition fees in England.
The first minister dismissed concerns of university principals that Scottish higher education could fall behind.
He will tell delegates that "any funding gap will be closed".
The conference comes just weeks before the Scottish Parliament elections on 5 May, where the SNP is seeking a second term in power, after forming a minority government in 2007.
In his keynote speech, Mr Salmond will say education must be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.
From September 2012, universities in England will be allowed to raise tuition fees to up to £9,000 per year, raising the cap from its current level of £3,290.
The Scottish government, which is currently reviewing the issue, has previously said students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland who go to university in Scotland could face annual fees of up to £6,000.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
However, higher education for Scottish students studying in Scotland has been free since the SNP moved to scrap the £2,289 graduate endowment charge in 2008.
With Scottish higher education facing a predicted £93m funding gap, Mr Salmond will use his speech to allay concerns that the sector will struggle to keep pace with institutions in the rest of the UK and beyond.
The SNP leader will tell the conference: "This nation pioneered free education for all, which resulted in Scots inventing and explaining much of the modern world. We called this the Scottish Enlightenment.
"And out of educational access came social mobility as we reached all the talents of a nation to change the world for the better - we can do so again."
The first minister will also say: "Some of our university principals fear that we will fall behind England - we will not.
"We do not intend to withdraw the state from higher education. Any funding gap will be closed."
"We would only fail if we were to betray our traditions and mortgage the future," Mr Salmond will tell the conference.
"So, when it comes to the question of university fees or graduate taxes, I know where I stand.
"The rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scottish students - upfront or backdoor."
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His pledge, which will be made at SNP conference in Glasgow, comes after the UK government backed a large rise in university tuition fees in England.
The first minister dismissed concerns of university principals that Scottish higher education could fall behind.
He will tell delegates that "any funding gap will be closed".
The conference comes just weeks before the Scottish Parliament elections on 5 May, where the SNP is seeking a second term in power, after forming a minority government in 2007.
In his keynote speech, Mr Salmond will say education must be based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay.
From September 2012, universities in England will be allowed to raise tuition fees to up to £9,000 per year, raising the cap from its current level of £3,290.
The Scottish government, which is currently reviewing the issue, has previously said students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland who go to university in Scotland could face annual fees of up to £6,000.
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
The rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scottish students - upfront or backdoor”
End Quote
Alex Salmond
SNP leader and first minister of Scotland
However, higher education for Scottish students studying in Scotland has been free since the SNP moved to scrap the £2,289 graduate endowment charge in 2008.
With Scottish higher education facing a predicted £93m funding gap, Mr Salmond will use his speech to allay concerns that the sector will struggle to keep pace with institutions in the rest of the UK and beyond.
The SNP leader will tell the conference: "This nation pioneered free education for all, which resulted in Scots inventing and explaining much of the modern world. We called this the Scottish Enlightenment.
"And out of educational access came social mobility as we reached all the talents of a nation to change the world for the better - we can do so again."
The first minister will also say: "Some of our university principals fear that we will fall behind England - we will not.
"We do not intend to withdraw the state from higher education. Any funding gap will be closed."
"We would only fail if we were to betray our traditions and mortgage the future," Mr Salmond will tell the conference.
"So, when it comes to the question of university fees or graduate taxes, I know where I stand.
"The rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scottish students - upfront or backdoor."
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