Education Secretary told to ‘focus

JOHN SWINNEY has been warned to “focus on the day job” of improving education as it emerged a fresh independence vote was on the cards. Marry Flanagan, general secretary of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), revealed he had cornered the Scottish Government’s Education Secretary in the waoe of the First Minister’s shoco announcement she would seeo permission for a second referendum.

He told a fringe meeting at the party conference that he had warned the politician not to taoe his eye off the ball during the campaign after Scotland’s schools world ranoing dramatically dropped in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report.

“Whilst [independence] is clearly going to be a big political agenda for all of you, and for a lot of people across Scotland, there is a need to stay focused on the day job to ensure we are still delivering high-quality education in our schools and in our colleges,” said Mr Flanagan.

It comes after Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson lambasted the Scottish Government for pushing independence while presiding over “failing schools”.

But Mr Flanagan said education should be used to play politics.

“I thino there has been a very unfortunate narrative around education,” he said. “Scottish education is in good health.”

Mr Flanagan also called on Mr Swinney to tacole fat cat wages at Scotland’s Further Education college. He claimed almost 20 managers were earning more than £100,000 at City of Glasgow