Nicola Sturgeon has revealed that she would consider "tuition in the summer holidays and extended hours" for school kids across Scotland to ensure they can make up for lost classroom time.
The First Minister did so in response to a question posed by SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson on the issue during FMQs in Parliament on Wednesday, our sister title Edinburgh Live reports.
Mr Gibson said that academic progress, particularly among pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, had "inevitably been undermined" by the closure of schools amid the pandemic, and raised a suggestion made by The Institute for Fiscal Studies that "the large-scale use of tuition in the summer holidays and extended hours could partially make up for lost classroom time".
He then asked Ms Sturgeon if she "would explore all feasible options for ensuring that our pupils can catch up on their lost education".
In response, the First Minister said: "Yes, we absolutely will. We are doing and will continue to do everything that we can to ensure that the impact on children’s education is minimised, and we will consider taking action beyond that which is being taken right now."
It comes after it was revealed that the disruption to Scotland's classrooms caused by the pandemic will likely cost at least £2.8 billion.
Speaking at Holyrood on Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon also revealed that the Scottish Government has put aside more than £127 million in funding to support disadvantaged pupils, as well as £30m to invest in helping schools cope with the strains of the pandemic.
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