Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 February 2021
17 Feb 2021 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Education
One of the points that Daniel Johnson made does not stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever. Mr Johnson acknowledged that public servants had done a great deal of work in supporting the delivery of education during remote learning in the agencies—Education Scotland and the SQA—that are the subject of criticism in Willie Rennie’s motion. However, Mr Johnson has indicated that he intends to vote for the motion. It leaves a bad taste for people who have worked hard to support the education system, as teachers and local authority officials have done around the country, to be given a kick in the teeth by Parliament this afternoon.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Lewis Macdonald)
Lab
I remind members that social distancing measures are in place in the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. I ask that members take care to observe the meas...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
Education must be at the heart of the recovery. It is a great liberal cause. School closures and remote learning were never going to be easy, but teachers, p...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John Swinney)
SNP
The pandemic has presented enormous challenges for our education system and our young people. The cancellation of the examination diets and the move to remot...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
Punxsutawney Phil is paraded every February to curious spectators. If he sees his own shadow, he retreats, and they are destined to more wintry gloom; if he ...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
As we come to the end of the parliamentary session, it is worth reflecting—as Willie Rennie did—on what the Parliament said about such issues at the start of...
John Swinney
SNP
Will Mr Gray give way?
Iain Gray
Lab
Certainly—for a quick intervention.
John Swinney
SNP
Mr Gray mentioned regional improvement collaboratives. Does he recognise that a great amount of the learning that is now available has been put together thro...
Iain Gray
Lab
Mr Swinney refers to the criticism of the national bodies. The review four years ago glided by Education Scotland and the SQA, which sailed on serenely and w...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
I thank the Liberal Democrats for bringing the issue to the chamber for debate. I am glad, in particular, to have the opportunity to expand on the calls that...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
We are tight for time. I ask all members henceforth to stick to their allotted time. 14:57
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
There is no doubt that teachers, pupils and parents have had the most difficult year due to the Covid-19 pandemic—a year like no other, and one that I hope w...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
It is very telling that, minus the reference to the pandemic, this debate is one that Opposition parties have had several times in recent years. With that in...
Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I ask the cabinet secretary to touch on the point about the OECD report in his concluding remarks and to say why, if he has it, it has not been published. I...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Clare Adamson will be the last speaker in the open debate. 15:10
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
I think that it was Mr Greene who said that he felt that these debates have been a bit like groundhog day during his time in the Parliament and with the educ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Ms Adamson, you are over your time. I have to ask you to draw your remarks to a close.
Clare Adamson
SNP
I am sorry, Presiding Officer. It is hard to monitor the time when I am at home. The motion puts the cart before the horse. 15:15
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
I agree with the Deputy First Minister that a huge amount of hard work is being done by a great number of people in the SQA and in Education Scotland, and I ...
Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Con
Today’s debate has pretty much summed up 14 years of SNP education policy failure. Not only is the Government wasting time and energy on plotting to hold an ...
John Swinney
SNP
One of the points that Daniel Johnson made does not stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever. Mr Johnson acknowledged that public servants had done a great deal o...
Willie Rennie
LD
It is a characteristic of the Government that, whenever ministers are under attack, they always use public servants to defend their policy failures. This is ...
John Swinney
SNP
That is the pathetic kind of behaviour that we get from Mr Rennie and his colleague Mr Cole-Hamilton on a regular basis. We have public servants in those org...
Oliver Mundell
Con
Will Mr Swinney give way?
John Swinney
SNP
I certainly will.
Oliver Mundell
Con
I cannot believe that Mr Swinney can look young people from deprived communities in the eye and tell them that, under his Government, they have had a fair cr...
John Swinney
SNP
I suggest that Mr Mundell acquaints himself with some of the statistics. On attainment of five highers, attainment of one higher from areas of deprivation an...
Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
There is a lot to be proud of in Scottish education. It has been alarming to see what teachers and learners have had to endure during the pandemic, and let u...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
That concludes the debate on education.