More than half of all schools in Moray are rated as being in a poor condition and are not fit for purpose, according to worrying data.
A staggering 31 of the council area’s 52 primary and secondary schools have major defects, Scottish Government statistics show.
Two buildings are ranked so badly that they are deemed as being at risk of failure.
Meanwhile, more than 60 schools across the Highlands are in a similarly poor condition.
Just over 10% of primary school buildings in rural areas across Scotland are in a worrying state.
In more urban local authorities, that figure is 5.6% nationally.
Similarly 16.4% of more rural secondary schools are rated poorly or badly, against 8.5% of urban buildings.
Highlands and Islands Tory MSP Tim Eagle says the SNP is “failing rural Scotland”.
“No child should be learning in a school that is in a poor or bad condition, but on the SNP’s watch there is a clear postcode lottery,” he claimed.
“These shocking figures show that the SNP are failing rural Scotland and are simply ignoring large parts of the country when it comes to education.”
Highland and Moray both have long-running problems.
In 2022, we revealed school buildings in the two local authorities were among the worst in the country.
Earlier this year Highland Council voted against declaring an emergency about the region’s crumbling estate.
The ruling administration instead vowed to look for more cash to fix the problem.
Proposals have been put forward to redevelop some ailing local schools.
Councillors considered a major overhaul of Charleston Academy in Inverness, for example, to eventually replace all existing buildings.
In November last year, Moray Council admitted some school closures were inevitable as buildings are reviewed.
The Scottish Government said 91% of Scotland’s schools are in a good or satisfactory condition, up from 62% when the SNP took power in 2007.
A government spokesperson said: “We are continuing to invest in the school estate through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme.
“This includes supporting the construction of six new rural school building projects.”
Conversation