Meeting of the Parliament 27 January 2016
I am aware that we have had numerous debates on education, even since the start of the year, but I make no apology for returning to the subject. Education, after all, is the key to unlocking the potential of each individual. It lies at the heart of what we aspire to be as a society and it determines our success as an economy. It is an area in which Scotland has traditionally excelled, and many aspects of our education system are still genuinely world class.
However, there are warning signs that in some areas trends are in the wrong direction and that the education system is failing far too many people from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development captured that picture well. It offered signs of encouragement but confirmed that we are seeing falling standards in literacy and numeracy, while the gap in attainment between the rich and the rest remains wide and largely untouched.
The OECD concluded that we are at “a ‘watershed’ moment” for education in this country, and a leading educationist told the Education and Culture Committee this week,
“If we’re not careful, we could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats agree, which is why we are prioritising education—and proper funding of education—over the next five years. Ministers will argue that that is what they are doing, but too often their actions lack ambition or willingness to put their money where their mouth is. Good examples are the expansion of early learning and childcare and the establishment of an attainment fund: both policies are worthy in themselves, but they are underresourced, underdelivered and, in the case of the attainment Scotland fund, poorly targeted.
Meanwhile, savage cuts of £500 million to council budgets—the very same councils that are required to deliver school education—and an obsession with national testing in primary schools seem to be consistent with a determination to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.