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The AGM saw the EIS launch its Education Manifesto ahead of the UK General Election.
In her AGM address, General Secretary Andrea Bradley highlighted the many political commitments to education that have yet to be met, and urged politicians of all parties to do far more to Stand Up for Quality Education.
Ms Bradley told the meeting, “We know that under-investment in Education in the here and now is a massive error of political judgement. Politicians need to see as we do that the cost of a few million in savings in the short term will be massive in the lives of the young people whose futures hang by a thread – the young people for whom school and their teachers are a safety net. The human cost of under-investing in Education should be unconscionable to people who say that they’re in politics because they want to work for a better society.”
“We encourage all voters – teachers, support staff, the parents and carers and families of our young people, and all who care about quality education, to cast their votes with the EIS vision of quality education firmly in their sights. In launching this manifesto, we encourage all to stand up with us, stand up for us…Stand Up for Quality Education.”
EIS Manifesto Key Priorities
The EIS Stand Up for Quality Education Manifesto outlines the key EIS priorities for an ambitious and resilient education sector that delivers equitably for pupils and students, that becomes the cornerstone of a just, cohesive and prosperous society, and that truly values, respects and supports its teachers and lecturers upon whom our children and young people, and adult learners, rely.
Stand Up for Quality Early Years Education
As we seek to improve the quality of our education system, we must start with our youngest learners. Scotland must invest far more in early intervention measures as we seek to support the holistic development of our youngest children, and address the gaps resulting from the high levels of poverty and socio-economic disadvantage that scourge Scotland currently.
In Standing Up for Early Years provision for our youngest learners, EIS priorities include:
- Greater investment in high quality, free at the point of use and publicly delivered, Early Years provision in which GTCS registered teachers are wholly included alongside other professionals
- Reversal of the cuts to teacher numbers in Early Years
- Minimum guaranteed access to a GTCS registered teacher for all 3-5 year olds
Stand Up for Quality School Education
There are considerable challenges facing Scotland’s schools in seeking to achieve the shared ambitions for Scotland’s children and young people. Lack of sufficient funding is at the heart of these challenges. Scotland’s teachers and school students have endured over a decade of failed austerity policies, the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the under-funding of associated Education recovery, and a consequential rise in violence and aggression in our schools.
In Standing Up for schools, pupils and teachers, EIS priorities include:
- A significant increase in the numbers of permanently employed teachers, starting with the 3500 promised by 2026
- A veto on cuts to teacher numbers in any local authority
- No cuts to the length of the pupil week in any local authority area
- An end to precarity for the thousands of qualified teachers seeking security of employmentReduction of class contact time to a maximum of 20 hours per week, starting with delivery of the promised reduction to 21 hours by 2026
- The additional non-contact time to be given to teachers for preparation and marking
- Establishment of a nationally agreed definition of ‘violence and aggression’ in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive’s definition
- To ensure adequate resourcing of Additional Support Needs provision
- Ring fenced funding to support the “presumption of mainstreaming” and to fill the gap between the promise of ASL legislation and the reality
- Universal provision of free school meals (including provision over holiday periods) for all nursery and school-aged children
- Progress on and resourcing of, the commitment to free instrumental tuition for all pupils who wish it
Standing Up for Quality Further& Higher Education
Further and Higher Education in Scotland not only provide a vast range of opportunities for students to grow as individuals, enabling them to acquire essential knowledge, skills and qualifications in order to improve life chances, they are also an important resource for the communities they serve.
More needs to be done in Higher Education to facilitate improved and proportionate access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Further Education, in particular, supports adult learners who wish to upskill, reskill, or change careers, and is a vital foundation of employability and is particularly important for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In Standing Up for students, lecturers and the wider community, EIS priorities include:
- Improved public funding of universities and colleges
- Fair pay for college and university lecturers
- Action to protect the status of lecturing staff and prevent deskilling of lecturers
- A renewed focus on delivering a wider range of college courses that support individuals and add value to their communities
- Opposition to any further privatisation of Further Education or Higher Education