SNP unveils its proposals for education after independence - but opposition parties tell them to 'fix the mess they've made'

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth claimed the people of Scotland wanted the SNP in charge of their children’s education, despite the country slipping in international rankings and teachers reporting soaring cases of absenteeism and pupil violence.

She and Independence Minister Jamie Hepburn unveiled the Scottish Government’s latest independence paper on Monday, which focused on education and lifelong learning, with a pledge to enshrine free university tuition fees into law.

The move was immediately ridiculed by opposition parties.

Craig Hoy MSP, chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, said: “It is appalling that hard-pressed Scots are still footing the bill for SNP propaganda papers that lack any credibility and which nobody reads.

“The public want and expect SNP ministers to focus on Scotland’s real priorities- improving our ailing public services and growing the economy - rather than obsessing once again over breaking up the UK.

“The SNP should be fixing the mess they’ve made of Scotland’s education system now, rather than worrying about what it would be like in an independent Scotland.”

He added: “This is breath-taking self-delusion from Jenny Gilruth – how she can claim the SNP has been anything other than a disaster for Scottish education is astounding.”

Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP, Scottish Labour’s education spokeswoman, added: “This from the cabinet secretary bears no reflection on reality.

“While the SNP pats itself on the back, the number of pupils routinely absent has soared and classroom violence has continued to increase.

“Scotland deserves an education secretary focused on the needs of our pupils, not on half-baked party political broadcasts.”

The paper, which is the 12th in the government’s ‘Building a New Scotland’ series, also proposes increasing the length and level of paid maternity leave, extending paternity leave, and providing additional weeks of shared parental leave taken at the end of the 52-week maternity period.

It also suggests Scotland could rejoin the Erasmus programme by rejoining the EU, allowing students to participate in exchange programmes, and says all 16 and 17 year olds would have voting rights in all elections covered by Scottish legislation.

This comes as the government comes under fierce criticism over education, including a lack of teachers in key subject areas such as maths, English and STEM, which is forcing some pupils to travel over 80 miles to get to school.

When asked by The Scotsman if she thinks the SNP is best placed to manage Scotland’s education system, Ms Gilruth said: “Yes I do - and the people of Scotland think the SNP are the best people to be in charge of education in Scotland.

“We’ve come through a really challenging time in relation to the pandemic and we’re seeing some of that play out in our schools.

“There is a real challenge with school absenteeism, but that’s a pattern reflected in England and Wales.”

She added she will speak in parliament soon to set out reform to Scotland’s curriculum.

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Speaking at the official launch of the paper at the Secret Garden outdoor nursery in Letham, Fife, Ms Gilruth said: “There’s the opportunity to fully enshrine the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and given the challenge that’s existed in relation to the UK Government and the Scottish Government on that issue, that would certainly be welcome on children’s rights.

“There are also opportunities to strengthen parental leave which is reserved and which we would seek to take forward in an independent Scotland.

“There are also opportunities in school education - we have a good story to tell in relation to capital spend on improving school buildings, but there are greater opportunities to improve the school estate.

“And with Erasmus there are opportunities in twinning to allow teachers to take part in exchanges, and in higher education there is a real opportunity there with re-joining the EU.”