Alex Salmond leads Burns day celebrations with praise for free education

Published on Tuesday 25 January 2011 12:59

Scotland's tradition of free education has been praised by First Minister has he leads celebrations to mark the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.

Scotland's new Makar, Liz Lochead, was also lauded by Alex Salmond, who said her work helped preserve the "unpretentious" tone of Burns' poetry.

"The most important thing about Robert Burns, is not that he was a heaven taught ploughman who was struck by a bolt of lightning one day in the fields and started to produce inspired poetry," Mr Salmond said.

"The most important thing about Robert Burns is he was an educated man. And the most important thing about Scotland is that Scotland then was the only country in the world where somebody of Burns' status in life would have been an educated man. And that is why we must always preserve the right to free education in this country."

Highlighting the appointment of Liz Lochhead as Makar, Mr Salmond compared her outlook to that of Scotland's most celebrated poet, who was born 252 years ago today.

"Her work has similar themes to Burns," he said. "She is a radical. She is at once intellectual and unpretentious. She looks outwards, and has translated Moliere. Yet she is passionate about preserving our ain tongue - so when kids talk about sleekit tim'rous beasties, they don't need a glossary.

"The message of Liz Lochhead, and of Robert Burns, is that you can take the speak of an Ayrshire farmhand, or a Glasgow schoolchild, or the speak of the Doric of the north-east of Scotland and communicate with all of humanity."

More on Robert Burns

• Rare Burns letter unearthed in stately home links giants of Enlightenment

• How to host a Burns supper

• In pictures: A Burns supper explained

• Tom Kitchin Burns' Night recipes: Haggis, neeps and tatties | Whisky Babas

Schoolchildren have also been encouraged to visit a newly-renovated museum dedicated to the life and works of Burns.

A subsidy scheme, which has seen a 150,000 fund set-up to help pay for travel to Historic Scotland properties, will allow support for visits to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, as well as other cultural sites throughout the country, the First Minister said.

"This new museum cost 21 million, and it is worth every penny even in these tough times."

"Not only will it quickly become one of the great tourist attractions in Scotland, but our ambition is that every schoolchild in the country will have the opportunity to visit and be touched by Robert Burns," he said.