Meeting of the Parliament 22 September 2015
Ah—so spending on education is not the responsibility of the education secretary. My theme is that it is time that the cabinet secretary started to do her job.
As for any increase on this year’s budget, that will be terrific, although that will make up only a little bit of eight years of budget erosion. The truth is that, instead of cutting tax, we should be increasing the attainment fund, beginning to reverse the college cuts and providing a proper system of student support for further education students and those going to universities from poorer families.
We will soon have the power to impose a 50p top tax rate. Will the cabinet secretary commit to use that to help youngsters from our poorer families get a better start in life? The potential rewards are great. It can be done. In Wales, a Labour Government for which education is a priority has cut the attainment gap by more than 11 per cent in just three years. Is the cabinet secretary serious about educational equality, or is it just words? Will her report card forever read, “Must try harder; too easily distracted from what really matters”?
I move amendment S4M-14311.2, to insert at end:
“; recognises that there are over 4,000 fewer teachers in Scottish schools than there were when the SNP administration came to power in 2007, class sizes are rising, over 6,000 pupils left primary school in 2014 with a poor standard of reading, the most deprived fifth of pupils in Scotland are half as likely to achieve one or more Highers and go on to higher education as the least deprived fifth and there are 140,000 fewer college students than in 2007; believes that Scotland must do much more to raise educational standards and close the attainment gap; supports an end to funding cuts for further education, and commits to an investment in additional literacy specialists in schools funded from a 50p top rate of Scottish income tax when power over income tax rates and bands becomes devolved.”
14:32Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.