DUNDEE, Scotland, March 30 (UPI) -- Scotland's minister of lifelong learning, Jim Wallace, announced Tuesday a plan that would pay low-income students to stay in school.
About 40,000 low-income Scottish students over the age of 16 would benefit from the incentive plan to finish high school by age 19 by paying them up to $55 a week, the BBC reported.
"It will ensure more and more youngsters are able to fulfill their potential and remain in education," said Wallace. "In the long term, this means the workforce of tomorrow will have the range of skills necessary to drive the Scottish economy forward for years to come."
The proposal -- based on the family's income -- would cost the Scottish government $89 million over the next four years.
"This is simply a bribe which encourages children to stay on at school, rather than find work," said James Douglas-Hamilton, the Scottish Tories' education spokesman.
"The main reason for staying on at school should be to try and attain qualifications, not to pick up a subsidy from the taxpayer to be spent on clothes and video games," he said.
