Student protesters in England have moved their focus to the withdrawal of Education Maintenance Allowances from 16-18 year olds in England.

Education Maintenance Allowances for students in Scotland are the responsibility of the Scottish Government and the SNP is continuing to invest in allowances with £30 million of funding for next year - if the opposition parties back the SNP budget.

SNP MSP for Glasgow and former teacher Bob Doris said: "I am truly proud to be a member of the only main political party in Scotland defending education. I have always believed that education should be about what you are not what you can afford, and I know I am not alone in saying that. The SNP will continue to defend Scottish education against attacks from the Tory, Labour and Lib Dem parties.

"Students in England are being punished as the Tory Liberals plough ahead with scrapping EMAs and raising tuition fees to £9000.

Thankfully, with an SNP Government at Holyrood, and even with the limited powers we possess, Scotland will be spared the worst excesses of the anti-education forces at Westminster.

"The other parties in Scotland will be challenged to support the maintenance of EMAs in the SNP budget. We could work together on this issue quite easily if the Scottish sections of the UK parties have the courage to break ranks and defend education in the Scottish national interest.

"But we really need the full powers of independence to make benefits and education policies which reflect both our values and the needs of our economy. It makes it far more difficult to maintain our priorities in Scotland when Westminster cuts the education budget in England and passes on Scotland's share of the cuts thorough the Barnett formula.

"We need to invest in education for the future of the whole of Scottish society, instead of these continual assaults on Scottish public spending as the Tory Liberals try for a quick fix to Labour's economic disaster."