MCALLAN “IN DENIAL” SAYS SANGSTER AFTER RSB INTERVIEW

Labour spokesperson Katherine Sangster and SNP’s Mairi McAllan.

by LUCY ASHTON

The SNP are in denial about Scotland’s failing education system.

Education Secretary Màiri McAllan’s BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast interview ducked one question after another.

Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Katherine Sangster said “This astonishing interview shows Màiri McAllan and the SNP are in denial over the scale of the challenges facing our education system. 

“The Education Secretary’s dismissive response to these shameful figures is an insult to Scotland’s pupils, parents and teachers. 

“Màiri McAllan has no ambition for Scotland’s schools and no curiosity about what has gone wrong. 

“This out-of-touch and complacent SNP government has badly let down a generation of young people, and more of the same is not good enough. 

“The SNP must stop making excuses and give a clear commitment to improve our education system and give young people the education they deserve.”

Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher MSP, left, said: “The SNP are desperately trying to downplay Scotland’s worst PISA results since 2000.  Instead of taking responsibility for this failure of her government, the education secretary tried to deflect and make excuses. Pupils, parents and teachers have been failed by a government that spends more time thinking about independence than everything else combined.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour has urged the SNP to rethink plans to downgrade Scottish neonatal units as new analysis shows a lack of evidence to support the plans.

The SNP proposals would involve downgrading multiple specialist neonatal units, including the award-winning neonatal unit at University Wishaw Hospital, and units at Ninewells in Dundee and Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. The plans have sparked significant concerns from local communities and clinicians.

Holyrood’s Petitions Committee will today (Thursday, September 10) consider a petition calling for the proposed centralisation to be stopped.

Ministers have repeatedly defended the controversial plans by claiming they are “evidence-based” – however, analysis by Scottish Labour suggests otherwise.

Scottish Labour’s review of the evidence the government claimed informed its plans paints a mixed picture at best.

Of the 18 key academic papers examined as part of the Scottish Government’s review, few provided conclusive and directly applicable evidence to support the Scottish Government’s plans.

Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie, right, said “The SNP must rethink these misguided plans and design a system of neonatal care that works for families in every part of Scotland.

“It is not right that families should be sent further away for specialist neonatal care during some of the most difficult times of their lives.

“For years the SNP has claimed these plans are backed by evidence, but that simply isn’t true.

“The SNP needs to halt these changes and build a real evidence base to inform its plans.

“It’s time for the SNP to listen to the parents, the clinicians and the experts and protect crucial local services.”