John Swinney has been targeted by a former SNP adviser in a brutal take-down of his handling of education in the pandemic.
Alex Bell said the Deputy First Minister was “spineless”, had put forward “patchy” part-time plans for getting back to school, and should be replaced as education chief in the Scottish Government.
The former aide, who worked with Alex Salmond when he was first minister, made the claims in an article printed by The Courier newspaper.
He blasted: “Yet again, Scotland is left looking at the education secretary and despairing. Where is John Swinney’s leadership, where is his vision – where for that matter is Oliver Hardy, as Swinney is surely our Stan Laurel.
“A hapless man in a serious job. But for the politburo-like endurance of SNP ministers, he should have been gone long ago.”
The focus of his anger was the “blended” learning model which could see children in school for as little as a day a week. Many parents have no idea how they will be able to go back to work and juggle the school timetable with childcare.
Nicola Sturgeon has also stepped in, leading to opposition claims of “dithering” on social distancing rules and a lack of clear planning.
Bell added: “John Swinney has been education minister for six years. Enough is enough. Someone take charge and give our children a chance.”
At First Minister’s Question on Thursday, Sturgeon described blended learning as a “contingency” and said the plans were only being drawn up “in case we need it”.
The Record revealed this week how council education committees have failed to meet in the last three months to discuss the future of schooling.
