SNP promises laptop or tablet for every pupil in Scotland

EDINBURGH: Every schoolchild in Scotland will be given a laptop or tablet by the Scottish government if the SNP are re-elected to power in May, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has pledged.

Swinney, who is also the Education Secretary, outlined details of the £350 million policy commitment to a special SNP campaign conference. He also used his speech to give his fulsome support to party leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, insisting she has “all that it takes to lead Scotland”.

The last year has seen Sturgeon face criticism from some quarters for her government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. The First Minister has also had to deal with investigations into the way her administration handled sexual harassment complaints brought against former first minister Alex Salmond.

As splits within the SNP were exposed, Salmond announced on Friday he wants to make a dramatic return to Holyrood as leader of the new Alba Party.

Speaking about Ms Sturgeon, Swinney said that in a year “like no other” she had “wrestled with impossible

decisions”.

In an online address, he added: “Yes, I am talking about the pandemic. But yes I am also talking about the baseless attacks on her character.”

The First Minister, he insisted, had been “tested like no other leader in modern Scottish history” and has “come through”.

The Deputy First Minister added: “We all know she has all that it takes to lead Scotland through these crucial days.” He spoke out as he revealed details of the SNP’s latest election campaign pledge.

Swinney said: “If we are re-elected in May, the SNP will roll out a new programme to deliver into the hands of every school child in Scotland a laptop, Chromebook or tablet to use in school and at home.

“It will come with a free internet connection and full technical support. It will be updated when necessary, replaced when needed and upgraded as technology improves.”

Swinney said the coronavirus pandemic has shown that such devices are “no longer luxuries” and are instead “the basic building blocks of a good education”.

He went on to attack the Westminster government after it raised concerns Holyrood may have exceeded its powers when passing legislation to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law.

The Bill was passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament, with Scottish Secretary Alister Jack saying afterwards there was “doubt about the competence of specific provisions in the Bill”.

Swinney hit out: “Scotland unanimously wants to protect the rights of children – our own children – and Westminster says that we are not allowed. That is not just morally repugnant – it is deeply menacing.”