Government research indicates that 800,000 adults,
or 23% of the Scottish adult population, have very low
literacy and numeracy skills.
Further education colleges are the largest providers
of post-school education and training in Scotland delivering
lifelong learning to nearly half a million students
each year. This equates to more than 10% of the working
age population of Scotland.
Learning is a process for life, not just for young
people. The Scottish Green Party believes that examinations
should not be considered the sole criterion of achievement
of education. Education should be concerned with social
and emotional development as well as academic ability.
The education system must meet the needs of learners,
teachers and communities as well as employers.
How we teach our young people should reflect our expectations
of them as citizens and members of communities as well
as employees. We believe that living within the planet’s
means, often called ‘sustainable development’,
is the top political priority. That means it should
also be a top priority for education and training programmes.
In the workplace, this would take the form of training
in energy efficiency, waste management and the sound
use of materials and resources. It would also cover
issues such as the relationships between employees and
employers. In schools, colleges and universities, there
should be specific time set aside for these issues,
as well as for wider topics such as our relationship
with the developing world.
We believe that by introducing educational programmes
dealing with sustainable development issues, understanding
of environmental and social justice issues will be increased
throughout the community, fostering more responsible
Green MSPs will work for the following:
We will abolish league tables for all educational
institutions, and replace them with an accreditation
of excellence reflecting the circumstances of the
school, the local community and both academic and
nonacademic activities. We will ensure that there
is enough money in all schools to work with, support
and re-integrate disruptive pupils. We will make
sure that there is proper provision for pupils with
special needs, whether in mainstream or special
We will continue to oppose top-up fees for universities.
We will abolish all student fees and restore grants
through a citizen’s income scheme. We oppose
the creeping privatisation of education provision.
We also reject the use of inflexible contracts within
the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to build schools.
Government money provided for school buildings (both
new build and maintenance) must actually be spent
on school buildings rather than generating excessive
profits for private companies.
We will extend the philosophy of community schools
and make the resources of all schools, colleges
and universities more widely available to the communities
in which they are situated. Community participation
in schools will be encouraged, including a greater
role for learners, education workers and parents/guardians
as well as for the wider community and local authority.
We will also provide support for high-quality pre-school
education and for home learning where appropriate.
We want to see greater flexibility within all levels
of education, allowing institutions to share areas
of specialist knowledge and enjoy the benefits of
shared resources. Further education colleges and
universities serve different roles and needs, but
support should be given to both in the context of
an overall tertiary education policy. We will provide
support for lifelong learning agreements negotiated
between learners, centres of learning and employers,
and support for communications training in colleges
and universities. We will also ensure the introduction
of citizenship education and education on sustainable
development in all Scottish schools.
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