This article appears as part of the Lessons to Learn newsletter.

For nearly a decade, the SNP insisted that improving the state of Scottish education was its “top priority”.

Back in 2015, Nicola Sturgeon insisted that she wanted to be judged on her ability to eliminate the gap between rich and poor pupils, framing this as just about the most important responsibility for a First Minister of Scotland.

During his time as Sturgeon’s education secretary, the current First Minister stuck to these lines, telling people over and over again of the SNP’s commitment to this particular cause.

Even when the reality of the SNP policymaking told a wildly different story, the rhetoric was maintained, often to the detriment of pupils and teachers.

But the idea of education as an absolute priority in Scotland isn’t an SNP invention: it has arguably been true since the very first days of devolution.

One of the ways in which this has manifested is in the appointment of government ministers. For all but one year of Holyrood’s modern existence, education has been an area deemed important enough for it to have a dedicated position at the top of government. The role has had various different names: Minister for Children and Education (1999 – 2000); Minister for Education and Young People (2001 – 2007); Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (2007 – 2016); and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (2016 – 2026).

The exception was the period from 1 November 2000 until 22 November 2001, when the post-holder (who these days is a........

© Herald Scotland