SNP’s Stalinst approach to internal dissent is damaging education – Iain Whyte

It is no exaggeration to say that last week’s announcement of the council’s plan to reopen schools in August was as welcome to parents as replacing PE with extra double maths on a sunny afternoon would be to their children.

After months of home schooling, the promise of a day a week in school created visible frustration. The council’s ambition to deliver basic services to the maximum capacity is less apparent. Rather it seems the SNP-led administration has accepted a list of “what we can’t do”. The effect is to write off a second year of schooling rather than find a way to help parents and, most importantly, give children the education the desperately need if they are to succeed in life.

Throughout this crisis the approach has been to shut down and consolidate. It seems they would rather have employees doing nothing than quickly adapt and deliver for the public. For example, the easing of lockdown has meant lots of extra people in our parks when the weather has been warm. However, Conservative calls to redirect under-employed staff to put on extra patrols and help the public have been rejected.

The perplexing thing is that no-one in power in the council is standing up for the needs of Edinburgh. If there was an internal SNP fight to be had, you would have thought it would be the council taking on the Scottish Government by demanding more money to get children in school for longer. But it seems the council leader’s famous bus stop diplomacy with Scottish Government Ministers is a victim of lockdown and instead ministers are berating the council’s plans as unacceptable.

So here are some mildly ambitious suggestions. If it really is all about lack of funds, do the sums and make the case. After all, Conservative councils in England are quick enough to do this with the UK Government. The Stalinism of the SNP approach of no internal dissent is damaging services. It really does fail to stand up for Edinburgh.

If space is the issue, they could use other council buildings. Or maybe they could join Conservative calls in requesting a review of the two-metre rule. This would ease the problem immediately and is, I suspect, where we will end up by August anyway with increasing calls from public health experts that it is possible in schools.

Finally, there is a sacred cow to be slaughtered. We could ask for some easing of teachers’ terms and conditions to get them in the classroom for longer – even as a short-term measure. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented action and that means arguing the parents’ and children’s case rather than accepting that agreements with the teaching unions “can’t be changed”.

I believe many of our hard-working teachers would see the merit in short-term flexibility if it got children learning again. It would mean greater safety for our most vulnerable children and a chance to avoid an even greater attainment gap going forward. Both things teachers would welcome.

Let us ask them how we can do it better and achieve greater than 30 per cent in classroom schooling.

The SNP council is very keen to make pronouncements on their ambition to “change society”. If there is ambition to be had it is time to direct it to delivering better services for the people of Edinburgh.

Cllr Iain Whyte is the Conservative group leader at Edinburgh City Council

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