Boris Johnson’s decision to quit Erasmus was cultural vandalism. Nicola Sturgeon’s failure to replace it for Scots is a broken promise.​

Last week, the Times published a hefty report from its Education Commission. It arrived at a moment of change in education systems across the UK. So as each nation heads into the choppy waters of reform, what could they learn from this doorstep report? And what does it tell us about devolution itself?

ThYou don’t have to be a policy expert to know that technology is the key to the future. It will increase efficiency, drive change and grow our economy, it is also paramount to our national security and resilience. Which makes it all the more baffling that this generation’s affinity with technology is not being supported by Scotland’s education system. In fact, almost unbelievably, the exact opposite is happening.

Swimming is a fundamental life skill because it can save your life, and in some cases save other lives. Yet Scottish Swimming states that 40% of Scotland’s children leave school not knowing how to swim, well over a third. These distressing stories every summer of yet another young person found dead from drowning can be prevented.

Scotland’s education system was considered to be one of the best in the world. However, in the last few years, or perhaps in the last decade, our education standards have begun to tumble.

Recently, the leader of Scottish Borders Council apologised for the local authority’s failure to investigate attacks by a teacher on vulnerable pupils in the local authority.

How do we make children in Scotland safer? This question ought to be asked by everyone at every level of government and in every one of the many organisations that have the wellbeing of children and young people as their objective. But of course, that is not the world we live in.

Far from widening participation, the Scottish Government’s no tuition fees policy, together with continual disinvestment, has created a two-tier system of provision which treats Scottish students as second-class citizens, and actively penalises Scottish universities for recruiting Scottish students.

Scotland is a nation of romantics. We have always taken pride and pleasure in our nations stories and myths. However, there is danger in delving too deep into the pool of mythology, of becoming too intoxicated by our own self-proclaimed values that we lose sight of both evidence and the modern world. That is what has happened in the debate around free tuition in Scotland.

Gordon Hector | Twitter Facebook-f Twitter Yesterday the OECD published the long-awaited review of Scotland’s education system. It’s politely-written but