Editor – I read with interest the announcement of the new STEM Hub and immersive Holodeck classroom at Dunoon Grammar School.
While any investment in education should be welcomed, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed when I considered the bigger picture.
This project is being promoted as part of the **£**70 million Argyll and Bute Rural Growth Deal, signed with much fanfare on Bute last year. We were promised transformational investment that would boost the economy, create opportunities, and help secure the future of our communities.
Yet, for Dunoon and Cowal, this appears to be the flagship project.
Don’t misunderstand me. The Holodeck looks impressive, and no one would argue against giving young people access to better technology and improved STEM education. Our pupils deserve the very best facilities available.
But can we honestly say this is the economic transformation that was promised?
Where are the major infrastructure projects? Where are the significant investments that will create long-term jobs, attract new employers, improve transport links, or tackle the challenges facing our town centre?
Where is the meaningful investment in tourism, business growth, or housing that would encourage young people to stay and build their futures here?
Instead, we have a classroom.
Meanwhile, communities across Cowal continue to grapple with declining town centres and the ongoing challenge of attracting inward investment. Businesses continue to face rising costs, while many young people still feel they have to leave the area to pursue careers.
The Rural Growth Deal was sold by the UK Government as an opportunity to unlock economic growth across Argyll and Bute. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Cowal has been left with relatively little to show for it.
If this is genuinely the headline investment for Dunoon, then local people are entitled to ask whether Cowal has received its fair share of the deal.
Perhaps this STEM Hub is only the beginning, and larger projects are still to come. If so, I sincerely hope those responsible will make that clear.
Because while immersive classrooms may inspire the next generation, our communities also need investment that gives those young people a reason to remain here once their education is complete.
