Attainment gap funding not enough say Greens
Education funding announced today by the Scottish Government is not enough to reverse “the decade of cuts to teachers, support staff and resources” say the Scottish Greens.
Ross Greer MSP, the party’s education spokesperson says that any attempt to close Scotland’s attainment gap cannot be done in the “classroom alone” and that significant investment must also be made in “better paid jobs, warmer and more affordable homes and strong public services”.
The £45 million announced today comes from the government’s Scottish Attainment Challenge.
West of Scotland MSP, Ross Greer said:
“It would be petty not to welcome extra funding for our schools but what's announced does not come close to reversing the decade of cuts to teachers, support staff and resources we've seen under the SNP at Holyrood and the Tories at Westminster. Our schools need a huge cash injection just to recover the four thousand teaching posts lost in the lifetime of this government. Closing the gap between the most and least advantaged pupils won't happen in the classroom alone though.
“We need to eradicate child poverty through better paid jobs, warmer and more affordable homes and strong public services. That's why Greens won an additional £160 million for local services this year but we need to go much further if we want a Scotland where every child genuinely has the opportunity to succeed.”