Scottish teachers allowed to take three days out of school to learn how to 'decode racial microaggressions'

The initiative examines how racism intersects with other factors such as class and gender through a series of online webinars and events spread across five months. The course is part of the Scottish Government's anti-racism in education initiative.

The programme features a specially written poem called "Seeds of Antiracist Education" by Tawona Sithole, which addresses "racial trauma leading to mental unwellness" and an "unfair burden placed on people of colour".

Stephen Kerr MSP accused the government of indoctrinating teachers

PA

Central Scotland MSP Stephen Kerr

PA

The MSP argued that removing teachers from classrooms for this training has exacerbated existing staff shortages in Scottish schools.

Kerr accused SNP ministers of attempting to "indoctrinate teachers with a woke, Left-wing ideology" rather than focusing on educating Scotland's children.

He told The Telegraph: "The SNP Scottish Government is squandering taxpayer money on a programme designed to indoctrinate teachers with a woke, Left-wing ideology instead of focusing on delivering better education for Scotland's children."

Scottish schools have fallen down international league tables under the SNP, with pupils lagging behind their English counterparts in literacy, maths and science.

A spokesman from Education Scotland said: “The national Building Racial Literacy programme promotes anti-racism as a baseline professional value.

"The programme is part of a range of optional professional learning from Education Scotland that teachers can choose from. From the outset, participants have support from their headteacher to apply for the programme.

"Sessions for the Building Racial Literacy programme are delivered online and mainly outside of class-contact time. The maximum amount of class time spent per participant would be nine hours."

GB News has approached the Scottish Government for a comment.