SCOTTISH Labour leadership frontrunner Kezia Dugdale is to outline plans to improve Scotland's schools and close the attainment gap between children from affluent and poorer backgrounds.
In a final major speech before the result of the contest is announced on Saturday, the Lothians MSP will argue too many schools are rated "satisfactory" under the Scottish Government's inspection regime.
She is expected to tell an audience at Edinburgh University: "Are we really saying that the extent of our ambition for Scotland’s schools is for them to be simply satisfactory?
"Have we really settled for second best for our young people?
"Satisfactory just isn’t good enough for Scotland’s schools.
"I want to be able to again boast that we have the best education system in the world.
"Not satisfactory schools, but the best."
She used a newspaper column yesterday to argue teachers working in deprived areas should be given a pay rise funded by a 50p income tax rate levied on those earning over £150,000.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she admitted Scottish voters do "not know what the Scottish Labour Party is about anymore" and admitted that the independence campaign had been damaging to Scottish Labour given it campaigned throughout side by side with the Conservatives.
But she made clear that it was the right thing to do for the sake of Scotland’s future.
"I did the right thing by my country. I believe the United Kingdom is a better, fairer place together. But...clearly that undoubtedly had a damage for the party," she said.
Her rival for the party crown, Ken Macintosh agreed that voters no longer understood what the party’s purpose was.
The Eastwood MSP told the same programme: "I want to have a different style; less oppositionist.
"We have allowed ourselves to be defined by what we are against and who we are against.
"What we need to do is to tell people how we will change their lives. We seem to be against change.
"We’re a very negative party at the moment; we’ve resisted the SNP; resisted the referendum; we’re against the Tories."
The result of the leadership contest will be announced at an event in Stirling on Saturday morning.
MSPs Richard Baker and Alex Rowley, and Glasgow council leader Gordon Matheson, are contesting the deputy leadership.
Sources close to the council chief yesterday played down reports he was set to quit the role within the next few days following a series of convincing by-election victories for the SNP last week.
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