Comments by Scottish Government education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville regarding a school partnership with the Chinese government have been branded "unbelievably naive and frankly dangerous".
Speaking to The Times newspaper, Somerville dismissed concerns that the 22 Beijing-funded Confucius hubs in Scottish schools risk national security and could give the Chinese government undue influence over Scottish education.
Host schools are paid £10,000 per year to host classes to promote Chinese language and culture, with participating secondaries including Stirling High School and St Ninian's in East Dunbartonshire. These are partly funded by the Scottish Government and Somerville has defended the scheme amidst concerns over Beijing's influence over education in Scotland. This includes fears over the surveillance of learners, which has been raised Iain Duncan Smith.
