The Education Secretary has urged a college principal who received a £304,000 pay-off against official advice to pay it back - but said it is acceptable for others to keep similar payments.

Angela Constance told Holyrood's Public Audit Committee that former Coatbridge College principal John Doyle received money "at the expense of the public purse" as a result of "appalling governance" during a turbulent merger into New College Lanarkshire.

Public paymaster the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) was handed a bill for more than £1 million for 14 college severance packages which breached its guidelines that no-one should receive more than 13-months salary.

One senior manager was paid even more than Mr Doyle at £314,946 - of which the SFC contributed £133,788.

The other severance deals were signed off following a proper business case which Coatbridge failed to adequately provide, Ms Constance said.

Mr Doyle today repeated his insistence "there is no reason for me to pay the money back".

Former college faculty director and prospective deputy principal Francis McGeachie took his own life at the height of the merger, sparking a review into Coatbridge College governance by public servant Alex Linkston.

The Linkston Report - declassified this week at the request of Mr McGeachie's family - found a widespread belief that all senior staff would be entitled to a 21-month pay-off.

When this became known, Coatbridge managers "felt under siege by staff colleagues, trade unions and staff of other merging colleges (who) felt that the senior staff were feathering their own nests".

In the event, only Mr Doyle received 21 months, plus additional benefits, upon his departure in November 2013 and everyone else was scaled back to 13 months.

Mr Doyle personally appointed Mr McGeachie as acting principal prior to his departure, in contravention of the college's appointments procedure.

Mr McGeachie's appointment was rescinded after Mr Doyle's departure - but instead of appointing an appropriate replacement, managers ditched the post and shared his salary among senior staff who were aggrieved at losing their bumper pay-off.

The review stated: "My impression is that this arrangement seems to have been driven by the desire to carve up the depute's salary among remaining senior staff in order to partially compensate senior staff for the loss of their previous enhanced package.

"This is bizarre and unusual, and in my view a further example of poor decision-making and governance."

Mr McGeachie took his own life in December 2013.

Ms Constance told the committee: "The way in which decisions were made was appalling. Those entrusted with the stewardship of public funds fell well short of what is required.

"If I could, I would rewind the situation to ensure that payments in excess of £300,000 - which were completely exorbitant - were not met from the public purse.

"Of course I would want Mr Doyle to pay back money that he has received at the expense of the public purse. Whether there is a mechanism to do that is of course a different question."

Committee convener Paul Martin pointed out the other colleges distributed 21-month severance packages, with some staff receiving a similar pay-off to Mr Doyle, but Ms Constance said she did "not find that unacceptable".

She said: "Colleges did have discretion in these matters. I am glad to say that that is not the case now.

"Even though they had discretion, it was for the colleges to be making very clear business cases and we know in some cases that did not happen and that is not acceptable."

Mr Doyle told the committee: "There is no reason for me to pay the money back."

He insisted he "most certainly did not" fail his duty of care to his staff.

"Are you asking me to apologise for accepting a severance package that was legal and appropriate?

"I was losing a job that I loved and I was very successful in. I was losing five years' salary.

"There was a change in severance policy which reduced for all of those staff from potentially 21 months to a maximum of 13 months.

"I did not introduce that change of severance policy."