NEWS of a UK Government plan to send out an almost 100-page book on Queen Elizabeth to all primary school children in the four nations has been met with calls of "propaganda" from people across Scotland.
The UK's Department for Education commissioned a project to create the 80-96 page book that will detail key events that have happened in the Queen's 70-years as monarch.
The project, that was awarded to London-based DK Books, has a cost of £12 million using taxpayer money and is being driven by a UK department despite education being a devolved matter.
READ MORE: UK to send 'patriotic' book on the Queen to EVERY primary school child in Scotland
There will be around 387,000 books produced in English for 1897 Scottish primary schools in Scotland along with 7200 books being produced in Gaelic for 108 schools.
Scottish Greens education spokesman Ross Greer criticised the "royalist propaganda" but did accept that the book may have some use.
He told The National: “Putting royalist propaganda into the hands of young Scots is going to teach them little about our country’s journey over the last 70 years. That said, a glossy booklet about the monarchy might be a useful tool for teachers to introduce themes of inequality and Britain’s class system.
"Given Scotland’s young people were recently recognised as having some of the strongest awareness of global issues and other cultures of any OECD country, this publication may well have the opposite effect from its authors’ intentions and simply reinforce how anachronistic the UK is when compared to our neighbours.”
An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report last year found that Scotland ranked "among the top-performing countries in global competence" where pupils examine local, global and intercultural issues to understand and appreciate the views of others.
Primary school teachers have also been in touch to voice their frustration at the book.
One primary school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "What children in Scotland need in 2022 is to come to school with food in their bellies, a curriculum that is focused on numeracy, literacy and health and wellbeing, and a massive increase in funding for CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services].
"This is a sickening waste of taxpayers' money for nothing less than propaganda."
Another primary school teacher, who also wished to remain anonymous, added: "It is an appalling waste of money that could be much better spent on other things, such as extra staff to support children to raise attainment."
The book is playing a part in events around the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the contract with DK Books states that it will ensure "pupils, families, and teachers develop a collective understanding of the Queen’s reign".
READ MORE: No new money for Scotland or Wales despite Treasury's claim, devolved leaders say
The CEO of the anti-monarchy group Republic, Graham Smith also hit out at the idea of using £12m of taxpayer money to create a book about "what is essentially a political issue".
He told The National: "The Queen’s reign and the events that have occurred during it raise all sorts of controversial issues that I can’t imagine the Government will include in this book.
"That means it will have little educational value and will instead be promotional material to bolster support for the monarchy. Will the book mention the 1000-plus laws the Queen and Charles have vetted? Will they mention the astronomical cost to the taxpayer? Will it make accurate claims about the impact of the monarchy on tourism, or will it mention Prince Andrew?
"Will the book address the democratic alternative or explain how other countries have chosen their heads of state over the last seventy years? If the answer to all these questions is no, then this is nothing but the abuse of public money to promote the monarchy to children and pupils up and down the country.
"I can imagine almost everyone in the country can think of a better use of £12m when schools, hospitals and police forces across the UK are at breaking point."
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