THE SNP Scottish government must plough its multibillion-pound budget funding boost into the nation’s education system, Labour has urged.

The party’s Scottish education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy issued the challenge after colleges across the country lurched towards insolvency following a £32.7 million cut in their budgets this year by the Scottish government. 

The cut was the latest blow of a 17 per cent real-terms cut in funding since 2021.

School budgets have also come under unprecedented pressure, with some councils considering shortening the school day to save cash. 

The country’s largest local authority, Glasgow, approved plans in February to axe a staggering 450 teaching posts over three years.

Following Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget, which pledged a £1.5 billion funding boost to the Scottish government block grant this year and a further £3.4bn from April, Ms Duncan-Glancy argued the SNP Scottish government now has “nowhere to hide.”

She called for “vision and ambition” from ministers after what she branded “years of SNP neglect” which has seen Scottish education slide down international rankings. 

Ms Duncan-Glancy demanded the Scottish government use the cash to deliver a “much-needed change in direction” in education funding when it publishes its own draft Budget on December 4.

She said: “The SNP has let down generations of children and young people in Scotland and done untold damage to Scotland’s once world-class education system.

“Exam results are declining, the attainment gap is widening and trust in the SQA [Scottish Qualifications Authority] is collapsing — the need for change is clear, but all the SNP is offering is a rebranding exercise.

“For 14 years the Tories have provided cover for the SNP’s woeful record, but now that Labour has put an end to Tory austerity the SNP has nowhere to hide.

“Education can transform lives and spread opportunity for all — it is vital that the SNP reverses the decline it has overseen.

“The SNP must show vision and ambition for Scottish education, deliver genuine reform and deliver opportunities for all Scotland’s young people.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said the Budget was “a step in the right direction,” but added that it “still leaves the Scottish government facing enormous cost pressures going forwards, and continued investment over the coming years will be needed to improve our public services.”

“Despite the challenging fiscal picture, the Scottish government prioritised education and skills by increasing funding to over £4.8bn for 2024-25,” they said.