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Tackling inequity in Scottish education

Government policy
Inequity across education is a problem for many countries. Alex Wood critiques Scottish education secretary Mike Russell's recent proposals to address this continuing issue.

Reducing the attainment gap and addressing the inequity in Scottish education was the topic of a recent lecture delivered by Mike Russell, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for education, at Glasgow University. His underlying argument was that only independence will secure these objectives.

He focused on the impact of poverty on learning: “A child in poverty is a child that has yet one more barrier to learning. A hungry child can’t do his or her best. And a child who worries about the very future of their family, is a child who is distracted from fulfilling their potential.”

He emphasised a strong Scottish consensus which valued education as an ideal. “Education is in our DNA. It is woven through our history and our sense of ourselves. We are a learning nation.” 

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