The Scottish Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has once again demonstrated a disturbing pattern of neglect by skipping a crucial parliamentary questions session intended to address the escalating violence in schools. This session, prompted by a knife attack at an Aberdeen school where a young girl was hospitalised, deserved her direct attention. Instead, Gilruth chose to absent herself, leaving the Higher Education Minister Graeme Dey to deflect the critical queries.
Far from being engaged in pressing government matters, Gilruth was snapped in Glenrothes at a party event with a newly elected SNP councillor during the very time she was supposed to be accountable at Holyrood. Despite the Scottish Government's feeble excuse of “diary commitments,” insiders confirm this absence was not due to any urgent government business. This blatant disregard for parliamentary responsibility underlines the SNP’s increasing prioritisation of political maneuvering over public safety and education.
The questions ignored at Holyrood were far from trivial—they involved the safety of teachers facing violence, support for vulnerable pupils with additional needs, and the provision of childcare. Scottish Labour’s Neil Bibby rightly condemned Gilruth’s actions, stating that the SNP government’s claims of prioritising education are hollow when their minister opts to put party politics ahead of public duty. As the UK’s political landscape shifts—with new leadership signalling a fresh direction—this SNP-led education chaos contrasts sharply with the firm stance advocated by those committed to restoring discipline, accountability, and real support in schools.
Concerns about school violence are escalating across Scotland, with campaigns spotlighting the crisis that the SNP continues to downplay. It’s no surprise then that more people are looking towards alternative voices who promise to tackle these issues head-on, championing policies that ensure children and teachers are safe, supported, and given the tools to succeed. The political elite’s neglect only fuels calls for a serious rethink—a sentiment that echoes the rise of a movement determined to reclaim education from the failures of an out-of-touch government.
Source: Noah Wire Services