CONS- MEGHAN GALLACHER

Our young people have been devastated over the last year as a result of the Covid pandemic and have missed out on vital learning.

Young people, parents and teachers went above and beyond during remote learning, but the best place for our pupils is the classroom and it is welcome that will finally happen next week on a full-time basis.

The Scottish Conservatives have ambitious plans to help young people catch up on lost learning and restore teachers to our classrooms which have been slashed under the SNP.

We would recruit 3,000 teachers for our classrooms, including 198 across South Lanarkshire as well implementing a national tutoring programme.

We would also invest £120 million in a catch up pupil premium scheme, which would specifically target our pupils from our most disadvantaged backgrounds.

To support those pupils and families from our deprived communities further, we would deliver a free breakfast and lunch to every primary school pupil and fund five extra hours of wraparound after school childcare per week for all children in Primary 1-3 to support working parents.

Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to be judged on her education record and that reducing the attainment gap would be her defining mission over the last session of Parliament.

Progress on reducing the poverty gap in our schools has been limited and that is a direct result of the SNP Government focusing on another referendum rather than our education sector.

The Scottish Conservatives have bold and ambitious proposals to restore Scotland’s schools to their previous world-class state.

Young people can’t afford another Parliament that is only focused on breaking up our Union.

Only by voting for me and the Scottish Conservatives on your party list vote will you guarantee there will be a focus on our education recovery over another divisive referendum.