THE Scottish Tories have been accused of "scapegoating" bilingual children after an MSP warned that an increase in the number of pupils who speak languages other than English could lead to a "crisis".
It comes after an article in the Scottish Daily Mail hit out at Scottish Government figures which show that nearly 60,000 pupils speak English as an additional language (EAL).
The article said 198 languages were being spoken in Scotland's schools, which the right-wing outlet reported was "placing them under growing strain amid a migrant influx and sparking warnings of a looming 'crisis'".
Languages being spoken by EAL pupils in Scotland include Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Russian, Nepali, Farsi, Lithuanian and Telugu.
According to the Scottish Daily Mail, 58,153 pupils had EAL in 2024, compared to 57,262 the previous year, representing around 8% of all pupils in Scotland.
Responding to the figures, Scottish Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher told the paper: "This development does raise concerns about the impact on teaching resources and community cohesion.
"The SNP’s decision to scrap the local connection rule when it comes to housing provision has made matters Glasgow, in particular, a magnet for migrants, adding to the huge pressures on schools and local services.
"Nationalist ministers must give councils the resources to deliver essential local services and strengthen community cohesion before this turns into a crisis."
Reform, which also previously lodged an attack on bilingual schoolchildren in Glasgow – with Farage accusing them of "culture smashing" the city – did not provide a comment to the Mail.
The Scottish Greens have now hit out at the comment, with education spokesperson Laura Moodie accusing right-wing politicians of "scapegoating" multilingual children in a "pathetic attempt" to mirror Reform.
"Speaking different languages is a reflection of the diverse Scotland we live in and something we should celebrate," the South Scotland MSP told The National.
She added: “What is concerning is seeing the Tories seize on pupils’ backgrounds as another excuse to push anti-immigration rhetoric.
"Every child deserves a properly funded education and the support they need to thrive, regardless of what language they speak at home."
Moodie said the Tory party's decision to call this a "crisis" is "a pathetic attempt to garner support from Reform UK".
She pointed to how Nigel Farage's party previously moved an amendment to a Westminster bill which would make it illegal to have election campaign materials in Gaelic and Scots, by criminalising all political materials that are not in English or Welsh.
Following backlash to the proposals, Reform said the plans would not apply in Scotland – despite the fact the amendment featured two paragraphs which explicitly lay out criminal punishments in Scotland – before going on to claim that it had not been the party's "intention" to criminalise Gaelic or Scots in Scotland.
Reform MSP Max Bannerman later said he was exploring introducing a bill to Holyrood which would "ensure that future Scottish elections are fought in Gaelic, Scots and English only".
Moodie continued: “Scotland should be a welcoming country, and our politics should reflect that.
"When schools and councils are under pressure, the answer is to invest in teachers, classroom support and local services, not portraying multilingual children as a problem, or as a scapegoat for right-wing politicians.”
