Education Secretary John Swinney has accused a North East MSP of “reckless” language for saying Aberdeen pupils and teachers are at risk from the coronavirus.
Mr Swinney reacted angrily when Conservative MSP Liam Kerr warned schools may close and raised the concerns of teachers working in the city that there was not enough social distancing in classrooms.
Mr Kerr pointed out that Scottish Government guidance asked schools to enable social distancing where staffing enabled it to take place.
So will the Cabinet Secretary provide the money required to allow Aberdeen schools to do as the Scottish Government requires or will he leave teachers and pupils at risk from the virus and schools at risk from closing.”
Liam Kerr to John Swinney
He added that Aberdeen Council had said schools need twice as many staff to make it happen and the local EIS representative had said the cash had to come from the Scottish Government.
Mr Kerr added: “So will the Cabinet Secretary provide the money required to allow Aberdeen schools to do as the Scottish Government requires? Or will he leave teachers and pupils at risk from the virus and schools at risk from closing?”
Earlier this month Ron Constable, EIS joint local association secretary in Aberdeen, said a number of teachers were fearful about the transfer of the virus within classrooms.
Mr Constable also called for more funding to enable schools to increase teacher numbers and reduce class sizes.
I think Mr Kerr gets more and more reckless with his language every time I hear him speak, because our schools are safe today and it does nobody any service for a member of parliament to come to parliament and say things of the recklessness of Mr Kerr’s remarks about the safety of our schools.”
John Swinney, Education Secretary
Mr Kerr’s contribution to Portfolio Questions in the Scottish Parliament drew a furious response from Mr Swinney who insisted schools were safe.
“I think Mr Kerr gets more and more reckless with his language every time I hear him speak, because our schools are safe today and it does nobody any service for a member of parliament to come to parliament and say things of the recklessness of Mr Kerr’s remarks about the safety of our schools,” the Education Secretary said.
“We put in place guidance to ensure that our schools could be safe. They have returned on a safe basis. They have sustained their operations on a sustained basis and instead of coming here and scaremongering, as Mr Kerr has done, I suggest Mr Kerr looks at the evidence.”
Earlier Mr Swinney said he had announced £80 million of additional investment in education staff, sufficient for local authorities to recruit around 1,400 additional teachers and 200 support staff this year.
Mr Swinney added: “While local authorities are still working through the recruitment processes, current Cosla estimates suggest that an additional 1,118 teachers have already been recruited and plans are in place to recruit another 250.”