Scotland’s children deserve better than this Nicola

Ruth Davidson

THAT Scotland’s school pupils are being short-changed by this SNP government is not news. But this week, finally, Nicola Sturgeon is being forced to do something about it.

Right now, our nation’s young people are facing reduced subject choice and increased chance of being lumped in a classroom with other children of different ages, all being taught at different levels and for different exams by the same teacher at the same time.

It’s no wonder we’ve seen the Higher exam pass rate go down every year for the past four years and Scotland’s performance in the international league tables drop like a stone. Last month, the country’s score for both science and for maths was a record low.

And for parents wanting to know how their own child’s school is doing? Well, since school inspectors were pulled away from assessing performance in order to lend a hand rolling out changes, it is now entirely possible that your child can go their whole career without either their primary or secondary school being inspected to make sure everything is working as it should.

This litany of failure – built up over 13 years where the SNP have had sole control of education – should shame the Scottish government. Instead, this week we had the spectre of the Education Secretary, John Swinney, shouting down perfectly reasonable requests by MSPs for a review into what’s not working so we can better serve our nation’s children. Requests he dismissed out of hand. Instead, inviting the chamber to give the SNP a pat on the back for its poor performance. It’s rare that MSPs from all other parties in Holyrood band together in order to defeat the government, but the issue of how we teach our children is so important, so fundamental, to all our futures, that’s exactly what happened. Tory moves to properly examine and remedy current failings were supported by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green members. Our children will never get a second chance at their school education, we can’t afford for it to be second rate.

But voting for change and actually getting it are two very different things. The next morning, Mr Swinney was being questioned on radio about the defeat, claiming he’d have to think very carefully about whether or not to comply with the demand. So much for being chastened.

BUT that line only managed to hold for about four hours before he was overruled by Nicola Sturgeon at First Minister’s Questions. Again, rare for the public to see any splits between the SNP top brass, but here was one in the open. ‘We will abide by the decision that Parliament took yesterday’ the First Minister huffed, spitting out the line ‘whether or not we consider that that is necessary’.

Oh, it is necessary First Minister. And you of all people should be first to recognise it as such.

Because five years ago, Nicola Sturgeon stood on a stage, looked down a camera lens and told the world that education would be her government’s top priority; that she would stake her own reputation on its performance – claiming: ‘I’ve put my own neck on the line. If I’m standing here seeking re-election five years from now, I want to be judged on the progress we make.’

Well, right now, the direction of travel is going backwards. The slide in exam results and resultant job prospects of our young people may have failed to provoke action since that speech was made, but perhaps, as another election comes into view, the idea of Ms Sturgeon’s own job prospects being directly linked to her record on education is helping to focus the mind.

Either way, Scotland’s children deserve better. This review that has been wrestled out of the SNP needs to be independent, transparent and comprehensive. Spending years wishing away problems or flat-out denying they exist has contributed to the continued slide. It is time to ask ourselves harsh questions and not flinch from the answers that are given. For if we get education right, we set our country on the path of a better future.