The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning is a position in the Scottish Government cabinet responsible for the Education department

Scottish Executive Education Department

The Scottish Government Education Directorates were a group of the civil service directorates in the Scottish Government. The Directorates were entitled Children, Young People and Social Care; Schools; and Lifelong Learning. They were responsible for education in Scotland; social work care for...

. The Cabinet Secretary responsibilities include all levels of education in Scotland

Education in Scotland

Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...

 from nurseries to higher education and the Scottish Qualifications Authority

Scottish Qualifications Authority

The Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...

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History

The position was created in 1999 as the Minister for Children and Education; it was renamed as the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs in 2000 and given more responsibilities; those were taken away from the post in 2001 and renamed again as the Minister for Education and Young People; the current position of Cabinet Secretary was created following the 2007 election

Scottish Parliament election, 2007

The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...

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List of office holders

Minister for Children and Education
Name	Entered Office	Left Office	Party
	1.	Sam Galbraith Sam Galbraith Samuel Laird "Sam" Galbraith is a Scottish Labour Party politician. He is a former Member of Parliament and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament....	16 May 1999	28 November 2001	Labour Party Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs
	2.	Jack McConnell Jack McConnell Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...	28 November 2001	22 November 2002	Labour Party Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
Minister for Education and Young People
	3.	Cathy Jamieson Cathy Jamieson Catherine Mary "Cathy" Jamieson is a UK Labour party politician and the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock & Loudoun. She has previously been Deputy Leader and Acting Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, former Minister for Justice in the Scottish Executive, and Labour Co-operative Member of the...	22 November 2002	20 May 2003	Labour Party Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
	4.	Peter Peacock Peter Peacock Peter Peacock has been a Labour regional list Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands since 1999. Peacock was appointed a deputy minister when first elected in 1999, and promoted to Minister for Education and Young People in the Scottish Executive after the 2003 election...	20 May 2003	14 November 2006	Labour Party Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
	5.	Hugh Henry Hugh Henry Hugh Henry is a Scottish Labour politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley South since 1999.-Background:...	14 November 2006	16 May 2007	Labour Party Scottish Labour Party The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
	6.	Fiona Hyslop Fiona Hyslop Fiona Hyslop is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow.-Family life and background:...	16 May 2007	1 December 2009	Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
	7.	Michael Russell	1 December 2009	Incumbent	Scottish National Party Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....