NORTH Ayrshire’s ruling administration has defended its efforts to help young people learn by providing them with digital equipment – following a government U-turn on pledges to provide devices to every pupil in Scotland.
Conservative councillor Todd Ferguson raised the issue at a full meeting of North Ayrshire Council (NAC) this week – after an admission by Scotland’s education secretary that the Scottish Government’s focus will now be on disadvantaged families with children.
Cabinet secretary Jenny Gilruth said the decision to target support at less well off households was the result of shrinking funding which she blamed on the UK Government.
Cllr Ferguson (Conservative, North Coast) tabled a question at the full NAC meeting on March 27 asking the cabinet member for education, Cllr Shaun Macaulay, if he believed digital inclusion for primary and secondary pupils was important.
Cllr Macaulay (SNP, Irvine West) said he agreed, and said NAC’s capital programme, agreed in February, included investment in digital inclusion.
Cllr Ferguson replied: “I am sure he will join me in condemning the recent announcement by the SNP education secretary that they are scrapping their promise to provide very pupil with a free digital device and internet connection
"Everyone knows in the chamber I have been banging on since 2021 about when will our pupils will get this.
“The pre-election claims that the policy will tear down barriers in education sound terribly hollow."
Cllr Ferguson said that as well as being a Scottish Government commitment, it was also one made by the SNP in North Ayrshire ahead of the 2022 local authority elections, after which the SNP formed a minority ruling administration.
Cllr Macaulay replied: "If Cllr Ferguson is seriously saying that same financial conditions existed in March 2024 as they did March 2021, then he has had his head in the sand for the past three years, or he is not telling the full picture."
"There have been extreme financial difficulties over many public services, not least caused by his party’s decision to experiment with the economy and send inflation sky-rocketing.
"However, within North Ayrshire, we are continuing to deliver on that commitment. Over 3,000 Chromebooks have been purchased using Covid recovery funding and NAC resources.
"Work is ongoing to extend this further into community settings to reach as many pupils as possible.
"So although there are challenges right now, we in North Ayrshire are committed that pupils will get access to digital devices."
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