Sturgeon avoids debate on her own education record

Scottish Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie MSP has today hit out at former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after she did not attend a debate brought forward by his party on her failed education record.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat motion highlighted the SNP government's broken promises on education.

Since 2016, many pledges have either been missed or abandoned, including:

• Closing the poverty-related educational attainment gap by 2026.
• Free laptops for all pupils.
• Free school meals for all pupils up to P7.
• 3,500 more teachers.
• Class contact time for teachers reduced.

In her recent book, Nicola Sturgeon wrote that: “I did not succeed in all that I set out to do on school education- and that I on me.”

She also wrote that on her watch, “it was undeniable that our performance in international league tables was failing.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

“Nicola Sturgeon is clearly not serious about being judged on education when she can’t even turn up to a debate about it.

“She can’t justify breaking her promise to close the attainment gap.

"She can't justify why performance flatlined on her watch, why classrooms became more violent than anywhere else in the UK due to her failures.

“Book tours and weighing up a move to London may be keeping her busy, but I suspect her constituents would appreciate if she could at least try to act like their MSP from time to time.

“Teachers and pupils deserve better than repeated SNP failures. Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a plan to get education back to its best, and you can vote for that plan by backing us in May.”