John Swinney: 'SNP has no failures on Scottish education'
First Minister John Swinney claims the SNP has made no failures on education when pressed by Scottish Tory Douglas Ross
John Swinney has been criticised for refusing to concede that his party’s policies have result in any failures in Scotland education.
The First Minister was pressed on the matter by Scottish Conservative Douglas Ross, who asked him repeatedly to name the Government’s “biggest failure” in the sector.
In response, Mr Swinney said the SNP had more than doubled early learning and childcare provision for three and four-year-olds.
Following the terse exchange at a Holyrood convenors’ group meeting on Wednesday, Mr Ross accused the SNP leader of “living on a different planet”.
The Tory, who convenes the parliament’s education committee, said the Nationalists had “taken a wrecking ball” to Scotland’s education system.
“As a former education secretary, the First Minister must know his party have failed Scotland’s pupils, teachers and parents for over 18 years, but he shamelessly cannot bring himself to admit that,” he said.
“Nicola Sturgeon’s pledge to eliminate the poverty-related attainment gap is in tatters, violence is soaring in our schools, teachers do not have the resources to do their job and pupils have fewer subjects to choose from.
“If that is not a litany of failures to choose from, then I would hate to see what a successful education system would look like to John Swinney.”
In an exchange that became increasingly short-tempered, Mr Swinney attempted to point out his party’s education successes as Mr Ross pressed him to name a failure.
At one point, Mr Ross suggested the First Minister was “delusional”.
Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur at one point stepped in to adjudicate the issue.
Mr Swinney said: “We’ve got to look at the record of the government as a whole. And amongst the many things that the government has delivered, for example, has been the more than doubling of early learning and childcare provision in Scotland for three and four-year-olds, and that's contributing to the foundations of the best opportunities for young people starting their lives.
“We've seen significant increases in positive destinations.”
Mr Ross countered with “that’s what’s in your briefing pack”, referring to notes written for MSPs by officials. “But answer the question,” he said. “Can you not identify a failure in education over your time in government?”
He went on to say “people watching this” would refuse to believe there have been no failures during the SNP’s 18-year tenure.
Mr Swinney refused to be drawn and said: “We’ve not failed in education because, for the reasons I've just recounted, we've got a significant increase in the positive destination achieved by young people as a consequence of their education.
“We've got more young people from deprived backgrounds going to higher education than we had when we came to office. We've got more than double the early learning and childcare provision in Scotland than we had when we came to office.
“And we've got record levels of literacy and numeracy in our schools.”
Two recent reports, one from Audit Scotland and one from the Scottish Funding Council, detailed the parlous financial state of universities and colleges due to significant and sustained underfunding.
The Scottish Funding Council said no colleges were financially viable and significant government action will be required to secure the future of the sector.
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