In an update to a piece shared with major media outlets pre and post election, General Secretary Andrea Bradley outlines key priorities for education that the new Scottish Government and Parliament must address.

As Scotland’s largest teaching union, representing more than 80% of Scotland’s teachers and lecturers, the EIS campaigns on behalf of all sectors of education. Although not affiliated to any political party, ahead of the election we made the case to the five main parties at Holyrood for increased investment in our schools, colleges and universities.

Key to this was our Manifesto for Education, which outlined key priorities for the newly elected Scottish Government. This manifesto, with a series of policy objectives that were independently costed by the Institute for Pupil Policy Research (Scotland), highlighted the true value of education to the whole of Scotland, present and future.

Scotland’s good education system, built on the commitment and professionalism of teachers and lecturers who deliver strong outcomes for children and young people, faces significant and growing challenges of under-resourcing, placing even greater and unreasonable demands on teachers and lecturers.

The EIS believes that the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament, collectively, need to do more to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland, from Early Years to Higher Education, receive a quality education, and that the system is resourced at a level that realises this aim. Currently, it is not.

Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the Early Years sector. In Scotland, in 2025, the ratio of pupils to teachers in our nursery establishments was 119:1. Yes, you read that correctly – 119 pupils per teacher in Early Years.

When we compare these statistics to those available for OECD countries which reflect an average of 13 pupils per teacher in Early Years settings, it’s clear that Scotland can and must do better in resourcing the education of our youngest learners.

it’s clear that Scotland can and must do better in resourcing the education of our youngest learners.

In our schools, large class sizes, too few teachers to share the teaching time, fewer promoted staff, proportionally less specialist support and worsening pupil behaviour see teachers in Scotland straining to do all that is demanded of them with insufficient resources. This is especially true now that 43% of young people in schools have a recognised additional support need (ASN), yet ASN support has spectacularly failed to rise with demand over the past decade or so.

As a result, burnout, high stress levels, low job satisfaction and working a significant number of unpaid hours every week, at the expense of their own health and wellbeing, is the reality for teachers. This is neither fair nor sustainable. And neither is it fair that children and young people in large classes with overstretched staff are unable to get the time, attention and support that they deserve.

There are simply not enough teachers in the education system to do all the work that is required to provide quality education for all children and young people on a sustainable basis, and in the face of the growing societal and geopolitical challenges before us.

To compound matters further, since the onset of austerity in 2010, teachers’ salaries have significantly declined in their real terms value, falling further and further behind the salary levels in many of the education systems amongst OECD countries, including Ireland.

Our colleges and universities also play a critical role but are under strain too. Most school leavers go to college or university after school to continue their education, both for their own development and to prepare for the world of work. Colleges, in particular, often provide a second chance for many learners to thrive. Many college learners go on to university, and equally as important, to staff many of society’s essential jobs, such as care workers, plumbers, and other vital roles.

For many young people and adults, further and higher education builds on the foundation laid by schools to provide the opportunities for success for individuals and thus society as a whole. Colleges and universities must be sufficiently and sustainably funded for this vital mission, with parity of esteem for all learning pathways.

Investment in education not only ensures that our citizens are equipped to be able to live more fulfilled lives, making more worthwhile contributions to our society, it also leads to better physical and mental health, better jobs, better family and community relationships, fewer addiction-related issues and fewer interactions with the criminal justice system. Investment in education is investment in prevention.

The EIS believes unequivocally that public spending on education is money well spent. Our policies are visionary yet achievable: the right political choices to enact them would set Scotland’s education system and people up for generations to come. The Scottish Government must grasp the thistle.

Now that the election is behind us and the SNP are, once again, the largest party at Holyrood, the new Scottish Government must place enhanced support for Education high on its list of priorities. At the time of writing, no announcement has been made as to whether the SNP will move ahead as a minority administration, or seek to enter into a coalition agreement with another party or parties.

Whatever the eventual political make-up of the administration under First Minister John Swinney, the new Scottish Government must enhance support for Scottish education. This will require collegiate working with other parties at Holyrood to ensure that Scottish education, its schools, colleges and universities receive the support, funding and resources they require to deliver for all of the people of Scotland.