Blackford shifts the blame

THE SNP has been accused of ‘passing the buck’ on online learning after its Commons leader said it was up to councils to make it work.

Asked about concern over a lack of preparation and devices for poorer children, Ian Blackford said ‘education in Scotland is delivered through the local authorities’.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions, Mr Blackford was asked if he was trying to blame councils.

The MP said: ‘I’m not doing that – it’s just a reality of where we are.

‘There’s been a tremendous job to make sure that we were providing the support that local authorities need, that teachers need, in order that young people can be taught effectively.

‘I think we’ve taken our responsibilities seriously in terms of making sure the exam diet was sorted out in a way that gives people certainty about what’ll happen in 2021.

‘There are areas, I would concede, where we need to do things better but the Government in Edinburgh, and certainly the Education Secretary John Swinney, is very much focused on making sure that we do that.’

Last night, Scottish Tory education spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘This is typical of senior SNP politicians when it comes to education.

‘Throughout the pandemic, they’ve failed to show l eadership and take responsibility... in supporting our pupils.

‘Their online learning plans are woefully inadequate and instead of passing the buck, Ian Blackford should be asking his friend John Swinney why that is the case. They’ve had months to prepare for this situation yet have left parents scrambling around at the last minute.’