First Minister Nicola Sturgeon once insisted that her record in office should be judged on whether her government eliminated the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils.
Going by the SQA exams debacle, where 124,000 pupils’ results were downgraded, then her administration has been an abysmal failure.
Prior to the exams fiasco, there were other classroom calamities: The long-promised education reforms which abruptly disappeared and John Swinney’s U-turn on blended learning.
It says a lot when the first minister admitted that had she been in the same position as the thousands of young people who had their marks reduced not because of what they had achieved but where they came from, she would “very possibly” have protested.
That no one at the SQA or the Scottish Government could have predicted this shambles and designed a better system, or even considered postponing May’s exams to September, exposes a lack of leadership and competency.
Education, like health and justice, is one of the core responsibilities.
Jonathan Mitchell
Swinney’s swift exit?
John Swinney is hanging on to his job by a thread after allowing the method used by the SQA to arbitrarily lower 124,000 Scottish children’s results.
Even smooth-talking Swinney will have his work cut out at Holyrood when an all-party call for a vote of no confidence is backed.
Nicola Sturgeon must show strong leadership in sacking him for allowing such an utter shambles to happen in Scottish education under his charge.
DFG, Aberdeen
Way too late
RE Douglas Lumsden calling on the Scottish Government to provide financial assistance to businesses in Aberdeen.
It’s way too late for some. There will be nothing but betting shops, pound shops, vape shops and charity shops in the city centre soon.
AM.
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