Meeting of the Parliament 18 December 2024
I am pleased to present the Education (Scotland) Bill and set out its general principles to Parliament. I start by thanking the Education, Children and Young People Committee for its considered work on the bill and its insightful stage 1 report. I pay tribute to Sue Webber for her convenership of the committee, which, in my opinion, is the most important in the Parliament. Sue Webber’s devotion to improving the lives of Scotland’s children and young people has been unwavering. Although we differ on party politics, I welcomed her approach to collaborative politics for the greater good.
I welcome the committee’s support for the general principles of the bill at stage 1. It is clear that, across the chamber, there is much that we all agree on, including the need for education reform. The status quo is not working. In a Parliament of minorities, the duty falls on all of us to ensure that we work together to deliver for the people who we represent. I know that each of us cares deeply about improving Scottish education and understands the urgency behind education reform. The pandemic fundamentally changed Scotland’s schools and, post-pandemic, standing still is not an option. Scotland’s children, teachers, lecturers, parents and carers expect the Parliament to work together to bring about reform.