Meeting of the Parliament 06 March 2024 [Draft]
I was about to come to that point.
I accept that the Government and the local authority, and, for that matter, potentially the community, need to work together on the issue, but there was an implication in the cabinet secretary’s interview that it was being passed to Aberdeen City Council. I can imagine the collective dismay of teachers and education staff across the whole of the north-east—in fact, the whole of Scotland—at her remarks. Those were not great remarks to make. Although education delivery sits with local authorities, be in no doubt that the implications of the Scottish Government’s policy decisions and budgets are exacerbating the on-going situation.
COSLA has said that council leaders want to protect education and
“improve the attainment and achievement of children and young people, whilst also retaining the teachers and support staff that are required to do this.”
I am sure that we can all get behind that, but, again, it is the decisions that we make here that are putting those aims at risk. It is neither right nor fair that the Government is passing the buck to local authorities. At the very least—and this is the cabinet secretary’s point—it is a shared responsibility.
Exclusions are increasing across Scotland, which we do not want to happen. The number of teachers who are considering leaving the profession is increasing. No employee should feel scared in their workplace or be a victim of intimidation or physical abuse.
The cabinet secretary needs to address the concerns, and the Government needs to take responsibility and address these issues by working with local authorities and local communities and bringing forward meaningful solutions now, not tomorrow.
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