education
Free school meals
We recognise that children cannot learn hungry; with Survation finding that underfed children suffer excessive tiredness and low energy, and often take part in the most disruptive behaviour.
Furthermore, we note the failure of the Scottish Government to extend free school meals for all primary school students, with P6s and P7s’ meals subject to means-testing. This system inevitably results in children falling between the cracks, and can create stigma against those receiving free school meals.
As such, the Scottish Government must immediately commit to universal free school meals for all primary students to ensure all our children receive the best start in life, and work towards the long-term aim of free school meals for all secondary school children in addition.
A new approach for learning
Learning lessons from the world-class Finnish model of education, early years teaching should include more play-based learning and less in-class time, to promote creativity and self-learning in our youngest children.
Also, owing to the high-performing Finnish model, a rethink of exams is needed in our schools. Instead of the stress of exam season, and the frequent situation where the vast majority of a course grade is determined by a single exam, we should move to a model which prioritises coursework and smaller assessments throughout the year. This will produce higher grades and greater student wellbeing.
Critical thinking should also be taught more rigorously at a younger age, with mandatory classes on media literacy for secondary school children necessary to combat disinformation. Teachers’ workloads must be reduced. The nurturing of children cannot be effectively delivered by an exhausted and demoralised workforce.
Higher and further education
Scotland’s free tuition has allowed us to become world leaders in universities, and the ability to access education for qualifications and self-betterment is a right we must defend. As such, a truly iron-clad commitment to free university tuition is essential for Scottish Labour, lest we risk a weaker university sector and lose a generation of young voters. However, despite tuition fees, every year, England sends more working-class students to University than Scotland, contributing to a widening of inequalities in cultural and social capital, as well as opportunity. A future Scottish Labour government must use the devolved redistributive levers available to it to ensure that from their earliest years, working class families are able and willing to take advantage of Scotland’s higher education system.
Simultaneously, the Scottish Government must promote apprenticeships, both in partnership with businesses and with direct state support, to fill our skills gap and give young people a strong path from education to work.
The further education sector is best placed to deliver training and apprenticeships in sustainable skills essential to a just transition. However, a recent Scottish Funding Council report found that most Further Education colleges face ‘unsustainable losses’ over the next three years. 20 of Scotland’s 24 colleges will be in deficit by the end of that period. EIS FELA is demanding a democratisation of college governance, the embedding of Fair Work practices across the sector, a reduction in untenable workloads and the securing of fair funding into the future.