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Labour targets younger learning McConnell makes school leaver vow
(about 22 hours later)
Jack McConnell is to place education at the heart of Labour's manifesto for next year's Scottish election. First Minister Jack McConnell has said a third term Labour administration at Holyrood would place education as its most important priority.
The first minister is expected to unveil plans to extend foreign language teaching for all seven-year-olds in his keynote speech to conference in Oban. Mr McConnell pledged that by 2012 no 16 or 17-year-old would leave school without being "meaningfully engaged" in education, work or vocational training.
Mr McConnell is also expected to boost the importance of science throughout Scottish education. He was addressing delegates at the Scottish Labour Conference in Oban.
Other areas of policy aspirations to be outlined to delegates include health, justice and employment. Mr McConnell also unveiled plans to extend foreign language teaching to the youngest pupils in primary school.
On education, Mr McConnell is expected to promise a shift in subjects taught from an early age, committing Labour to teaching a foreign language to every P3 class, with science crossing the boundary from secondary into P7. He also said he would boost the importance of science in schools.
I want to run our economy on Scotland's most precious resource, the talents and skills of our people and our children Jack McConnellFirst Minister And there will be initiatives aimed at a group the first minister has previously identified as a source of social problems - school leavers who go straight onto the dole. The first minister said that specialist science teachers would provide back-up for class teachers at primary school.
Labour is also likely to pledge to reduce class sizes further in primaries. A sunrise agenda for three to 11-year-olds would see more investment in pre-school education and training, he said.
Mr McConnell will tell the conference that while Labour's first two terms were about meeting public priorities, a third term would be about unlocking people's potential. He told delegates that Labour's first two terms were about meeting public priorities.
"In this new world, education is the most important tool we have," he will tell party members. Mr McConnell, a former maths teacher, said a third term would be about unlocking people's potential.
"Scotland is a land of great and beautiful natural resources, but our greatest resource is our people. We have a clear goal, by 2012 every 16 and 17-year-old in the country will be meaningfully engaged, learning and developing Jack McConnell
"Our mission for the third term is to unlock that natural resource, to realise the potential of our people and the potential for our nation." He said: "Alex Salmond wants to run the economy on a dwindling supply of oil.
And he will tell the conference: "Alex Salmond wants to run the economy on a dwindling supply of oil.
"I want to run our economy on Scotland's most precious resource, the talents and skills of our people and our children.""I want to run our economy on Scotland's most precious resource, the talents and skills of our people and our children."
The first minister said he would be looking to make leaving school at the ages of 16 and 17 conditional on a youngster entering education, employment, training or full-time volunteering.
He said he had asked Anton Colella, the man brought in to sort out the Scottish Qualifications Authority after the exams chaos six years ago, to look at the options available.
Mr McConnell said: "We have a clear goal, by 2012 every 16 and 17-year-old in the country will be meaningfully engaged, learning and developing, preparing for the new competition in the global economy."
The first minister also set out a range of policies which Labour would commit to if it was to be returned to power after next May's Holyrood elections.
They included:
  • A full employment agency to get a further 100,000 Scots into work
  • Health checks for men
  • Double the number of community wardens
  • New partnerships to "invigorate" provincial towns
  • A new Forth road crossing
Nicola Stugeon, the SNP's deputy leader, said: "Ten years ago Labour were elected on the promise of education, education, education.
"Now, after a whole decade Mr McConnell says education is to be his top priority.
"What on earth has he been doing during his time in office?"
She claimed the first minister had "lost touch with reality".