Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 23 September 2020
The estimates of the likely number of pupils who did not have access to digital learning were of the order of 70,000. Through the first tranche of the proposals that the Government put in place, we provided 25,000 devices to tackle that issue. We then distributed a sum of money that was almost three times the amount that was allocated for the 25,000 digital devices for local authorities to fill the local gaps in a targeted way to meet that need. The Government put the resources directly into closing the digital divide, empowering our schools and local authorities with the resources to do exactly that.
This is a timely and welcome debate focusing on the attainment gap, but it is the ultimate in hypocrisy for the Conservative Party to suggest that the link between the closure of the attainment gap and the debate on independence is negative. The attainment gap is created by poverty; independence would give us the powers to tackle the issue of poverty and that is why Scotland needs to be an independent country.
I move amendment S5M-22780.3, to leave out from “believes” to end and insert:
“supports work to close the attainment gap; confirms that closing the attainment gap and raising standards for all must remain the top priority for the education system; recognises that the attainment gap is caused by the underlying poverty and inequality in society, which are exacerbated by the policy choices of the Conservative administration at Westminster; further recognises that the impact of COVID-19 has disrupted teaching and learning and risks exacerbating the attainment gap and considers therefore that the Scottish Government, local authorities and all education agencies must do everything practicable to support early learning and childcare, schools, colleges and universities through the pandemic; commends the hard work and dedication of teachers, staff and pupils in adapting to the impact of coronavirus, and believes that in education, and across a broad range of powers of the Scottish Parliament, the UK Government is using the EU exit to enact a power grab against the people of Scotland, demonstrating beyond all doubt that decisions about Scotland should be taken by the people who live here and not by a Conservative administration at Westminster led by Boris Johnson, which has been comprehensively rejected by the people of Scotland.”
15:45Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.