At First Minister’s Questions today, she said while she was ultimately responsible for Scotland’s education agencies, she failed to acknowledge concerns raised by teachers and experts in recent weeks.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson challenged her on criticism of Education Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, both of whom have faced tough questions at Holyrood’s education committee.
It’s also been reported that Curriculum for Excellence guidance has swamped teachers in 20,000 pages of online material, while experts say the Scottish Government is guilty of a “dereliction of duty” in relation to CfE.
Last week, following criticism of exams in Scotland, MSPs said the SQA exists “in a parallel universe” and was “in danger of sinking in a sea of jargon”.
And in Holyrood today, Ruth accused the SNP of “failing a generation” of pupils with its performance on education.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said:
“The SNP has been in charge of education for 10 years, and its record is shocking.
“There’s an attainment gap that won’t close, numeracy standards are falling and inspections are at a five-year low.
“The First Minister has admitted she’s accountable for this, but won’t take responsibility for failing a generation of Scotland’s school pupils.
“We keep hearing how the SNP is ‘listening’ and carrying out various reviews on governance.
“But what parents and teachers want to know is when is this actually going to get sorted out.
“Scotland cannot afford more children to be failed in this way.”