Civil servants' tote bag suggestion reveals SNP's 'free school bags for all' pledge for what it is
The mildly comical suggestion of providing a tote bag instead of a backpack may have been civil service code for ‘can’t we just scrap this whole idea?’
It would have been perfectly reasonable for the SNP to set up a fund to help poor families buy all the usual things that children need when starting school – including, of course, a school bag. However, that’s just not the way the nationalists do politics.
Instead, this is supposed to be yet another ‘universal benefit’, available to all, rich or poor. As the party’s election manifesto explained: “Our commitment to providing every child in Scotland with the best start in life is unwavering. Inspired by our baby box, our new Welcome to School Bag will provide all Primary 1 pupils attending a local primary school with a starter pack, filled with essential items such as stationery, a water bottle, books, resources to help families encourage literacy and numeracy practice at home...”
Perhaps, in Communist countries, the idea of children happily skipping off to school all with the same state-provided bag is uncontroversial. However, in the free world, where even young children enjoy choosing their own possessions, a free bag from the government is unlikely to remain popular for long. It might even attract a degree of stigma. And many parents see it as their job to provide their children with “the best start in life”.
Better ways to spend ‘Gabtec’ cash
Unsurprisingly, this election pledge – the SNP’s latest attempted electoral ‘bribe’ – was uncosted. Now, as we report today, civil servants have warned ministers that giving the promised backpack to every child would be “expensive” and could “duplicate purchases families may potentially make anyway”. Their mildly comical suggestion of providing a tote bag instead may or may not be civil service code for ‘can’t we just scrap this whole idea?’
The Scottish government’s long-standing commitment to “Getting it right for every child” produced the ugly acronym ‘Girfec’ and it seems ministers are equally committed to ‘Gabtec’ – ‘Giving a backpack to every child’.
They could and should spend the money on reducing the pressure on teachers, restoring order to classrooms and getting Scotland moving back up international education league tables. But then, that would involve admitting that Scottish education is in a state of crisis that won’t be fixed by cheap, cynical gimmicks.
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