Pupils at Scottish secondary schools should be offered a free place at college to ensure they do not miss out on opportunities due to the pandemic, Anas Sarwar has said.
The new Scottish Labour leader used his first major policy speech today to argue it was a "moral imperative" that teenagers in their senior years are not left behind because of classroom closures during lockdown.
The Glasgow MSP - who yesterday revealed he would challenge Nicola Sturgeon for her seat in May - said his party would put a "national recovery plan" at the heart of his election campaign.
And he claimed "old arguments" about the timing of a possible referendum on Scottish independence would undermine the country's rebuilding efforts when the pandemic finally ends.
Sarwar announced there would be five themes to Labour's election campaign - focusing on recovery in jobs, the NHS, education, climate and communities.
In a speech focusing on schools, he called for a "personal comeback plan" for every pupil on the day that many children return to school.
He said: "We have a moral imperative to ensure that our next generation do not carry the weight of the pandemic.
"This is a plan that delivers hope for our young people, restores Scottish education, supports teachers, and makes sure that every child has the right to a decent start in life.
"It includes a tutoring programme which must be led nationally and resourced by the Scottish Government.
"We believe there should be a personal comeback plan for every pupil, based on a needs-based assessment, and combined with a mental health assessment.
"For those young people who have missed out on examinations this year, we believe there should be a resit guarantee with a free place at college to take national qualifications should this be the chosen path of any pupil from the affected cohort.
"This gives a clear signal to our young people that they will not suffer as a result of their age and stage in the time of Covid-19."
Sarwar also called for teachers to be "a priority" when it came to covid vaccinations.
"The demands of the last year placed on the workforce may have changed, but they have never reduced in scale," he continued.
"They deserve not just our thanks but our commitment to support them in the future. That starts with priority vaccinations for teachers.
"And then concerns over workload must be addressed urgently in the new parliamentary term, with a guaranteed completion opportunity for probationary teachers and enhanced digital training for staff."
