Parties put education at the heart of programmes for Holyrood power
Education is the top priority for Scotland's political parties with 100 days of campaigning left before the country goes to the polls.
Education is the top priority for Scotland's political parties with 100 days of campaigning left before the country goes to the polls.
Party leaders are to make a series of visits across the country this week to outline their policy priorities ahead of the Holyrood election.
Polls suggest an increased SNP majority in May and the party says it must ''earn the right'' to a third term in government.
Deputy leader John Swinney said: Our most transformational investment in the next parliament will be in education.
We'll almost double current provision of government funded early learning and childcare and right through to college and university level we are determined to deliver further achievement for Scotland.
We will spend the next 100 days leading an ambitious, national debate about how to keep Scotland moving forward through progressive policies.
Our mission could not be clearer - to earn the right on our record and our commitment to serve an unprecedented third term as Scotland's government.''
Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale is to visit a nursery on Monday to highlight her plan to invest in future generations through a Fair Start Fund.
She said: The choice facing voters is now clearer than ever - investment in the future with Labour or more cuts to schools and childcare with the SNP and the Tories.
We need to invest in our young people, not pull the rug out from under them. Labour's plan for a Fair Start Fund would target extra resources for our primary schools and nurseries, giving teachers real power to make a difference.
If we want to create a better future for our country then somebody has to pay for it, and I am determined that it won't be Scotland's children. Under my plan the richest few earning more than £150,000 would pay more in tax so we can invest in our schools and nurseries. That's the fair thing to do.''
Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie will mark the 100 day milestone at Fife College.
He said: Our costed plan will invest in education, support the NHS, protect the environment and guarantee our civil liberties.
Liberal Democrats have punched above our weight in the Scottish Parliament. We won an expansion of nursery education, led opposition to college cuts, campaigned for equal status for mental health and stood up for our police following the chaotic centralisation of Police Scotland.
With just five we have achieved much, with more MSPs we can achieve so much more.''
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said the SNP has been asleep at the wheel on education''.
We have exposed how graduates are leaving Scotland to teach elsewhere because the SNP has failed to adopt new programmes to encourage them into classrooms here,'' Ms Davidson said.
And we have shown this week how the number of school inspections has fallen off a cliff. The SNP is only now is getting round to focussing on improving schools because it has spent most of its time trying to split the country - what a waste of eight and a half years of government.''
The Scottish Greens are also aiming to increase representation in May. Co-convener Patrick Harvie will this week give a keynote speech as part of the David Hume Institute's The Politicians And The Professionals series featuring all five Holyrood leaders.
He said: The two fundamental challenges Scotland faces are closely linked - the task of building a new, sustainable economy which can generate the jobs of the future and close the gap between the rich and the rest of us, is directly linked to the ecological challenge of limiting our carbon emissions and preparing for a post-carbon society.
Scotland can meet these challenges and indeed Scottish Greens see huge opportunities for creating jobs and reducing inequality if we are bold in our choices. But those opportunities could be missed if government continues to pretend that business as usual will simply continue.
We've heard recently from the Scottish Government's independent advisor on poverty and inequality that we need to improve housing affordability, reform local taxation and tackle fuel poverty.
Greens will continue to push the Scottish Government to be bolder on rent controls, build more social housing, and properly funding energy efficiency measures, so we can address the scandal of fuel poverty and the housing crisis.''