Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to concentrate on delivering a full curriculum for school pupils rather than her plans for a referendum.
Ruth Davidson said the first minister should focus on schools rather than “another constitutional dust-up” after challenging her at First Minister’s Questions.
Ms Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Tories’ Holyrood group, asked Ms Sturgeon why the first minister’s plans for a referendum bill were “more urgent” than education.
The first minister should show the level of ambition that parents expect and pupils deserve. She should tell the SQA to think again and make this her focus, not another constitutional dust up.”
Ruth Davidson
Her line of attack came after Ms Sturgeon included plans for legislation giving the timescale and question for indyref2 at the heart of her Programme for Government this week.
Ms Davidson said the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) had plans for pupils to “cover less ground in the curriculum and key subjects”.
The Tory MSP accused Ms Sturgeon of being “content to accept second best – less teaching, less learning and less knowledge this year, for young people who already lost out last year”.
Ms Sturgeon said the SQA “will do the work that is required” and repeated her plans for a review aimed at learning lessons from the botched results system introduced because exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Afterwards, Ms Davidson said: “The first minister should show the level of ambition that parents expect and pupils deserve. She should tell the SQA to think again and make this her focus, not another constitutional dust up.”
