Our Man in Holyrood: Upskill our children for the challenges of the future and teach them to touch type, says Inverness and Nairn MSP
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
It was in 1873 that Remington used the QWERTY keyboard – the first six letters on the left of the top letters row on their typewriters, writes MSP Fergus Ewing.
That has since become the universal keyboard used in billions of devices – formerly typewriters and word processors but now keyboards and laptops.
In regards, in March this year the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, said that every child in Scotland should have a tablet or keyboard.
Of course, many will have them already but some will not – and we want all to gain and learn.
This week in Holyrood I asked Shirley Anne Sommerville, the Education Cabinet Secretary, if we would, as well as giving children the tool – as a tablet or keyboard is simply that – provide the tuition to help them use the keyboard by learning how to touch type.
That skill may be the most valuable of all for a huge number of jobs as well as social activities.
It’s pretty easy to hand out an asset – but more difficult to ensure that it can be deployed to maximum effect.
So many jobs now involve emails, typing, communicating.
Those who type with two fingers will get by, yes.
But would it not be a more practical aim to ensure that all children can have the chance to learn to type properly, using all 10 fingers, and thus massively improving their ability to do a myriad of different jobs in adult life?
I shall write to the education secretary to set out my proposal in more detail.
As we move into the colder months, the current energy crisis isn’t the only worry for many low-income families.
The Tory UK government’s cut to Universal Credit will see low income families losing £1040 per year starting from this month.
Figures show that almost half a million people in Scotland will be hit by the cut.
At a time when we are already seeing the highest levels of in-work poverty this century paired with social security cuts, tax hikes, Brexit and the economic effects of the pandemic, many families are being left with impossible decisions when trying to meet the costs of living.
My good friend and constituency colleague, MP Drew Hendry, has long called for changes to the Universal Credit across this constituency and working with him, and our other SNP colleagues, I will keep up the pressure on the UK government and urge them to U-turn on this callous move to families.
Our Man in Holyrood: More needs to be done regarding mental health services
