Music lessons slashed in schools

A TEACHING union has warned that local authorities who slash budgets for music lessons will damage pupils' education.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said cuts were short-sighted and claimed that political pressure to cut public spending threatens music tuition in schools and teachers' jobs.

EIS general secretary Ronnie Smith said Fife and Midlothian councils had already cut spending on music lessons in schools. He said: "It seems that school music instruction is firmly in the sights of local authorities as they continue to slash education budgets for the year ahead.

"The loss of instrumental music instructors, with job losses and greatly reduced capacity for music tuition, will inevitably have a damaging impact on the educational opportunities for many pupils across the country."

Midlothian Council is cutting spending by 173,000 over the next two years

Councillor Peter Boyes, education and communities spokesman, said: "The council took the decision to take no new pupils at the P5 stage into the music instruction programme as part of its overall savings.

"This means that all pupils currently receiving music instruction in Midlothian will have this provision continued."

Fife Council is planning to cut spending on music lessons by 50 per cent over the next two years.