Glasgow Tories to urge focus on education
GLASGOW’S Conservative group will challenge the city administration to focus on the c i t y ’ s education attainment gap rather than “debates” over separation.
Councillor Euan Blockley will tomorrow present his motion at a full council meeting following the recent release of the Evaluation of Attainment Scotland Fund.
A report highlights there has been some progress in closing the attainment gap but there is not a consistent pattern on improvement.
Mr Blockley’s motion reads: “The council regrets the slow pace of progress in closing the attainment gap in Scotland, despite the First Minister of Scotland identifying it specifically in 2015 as the priority by which she should be personally judged.
“The council notes that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has the potential to worsen educational inequality in Scotland and further acknowledges the impact of the Scottish Government’s cuts to Glasgow’s budget which put pressure on council resources to improve educational attainment within the city.”
An educational policy paper designed by the Scottish Conservatives outlines the measures they believe will improve learning standards in Scotland.
These include the recruitment of 3000 teachers including more than 300 in Glasgow, the establishment of a national tutoring programme to give extra support to pupils who have fallen behind their peers during the coronavirus pandemic and a new independent school and education inspector which would report to the Scottish Parliament and ensure that education policy is genuinely accountable to the electorate.
Mr Blockley’s motion adds: “The local authority welcomes the UK Government’s commitment to bridging the gap between education and employment with a comprehensive package of support for businesses to invest in training and apprenticeships, including through the £ 2 billion Kickstart Scheme.
“The council encourages eligible Glasgow businesses to participate in the scheme and provide opportunities to our city’s young people at risk of long- term unemployment.”
If the motion is successful the council will instruct the chief executive to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills outlining its support for the Scottish Government to plainly state that its priority is narrowing the attainment gap and that this is a far greater priority than debates over separation.